2010 Town Hall Meeting
The Coalition hosted a
Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, March 16th at the
Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce.
Guest speaker Cynthia Schiebel discussed how alcohol affects
the developing brain of adolescents.
Schiebel is a licensed counselor from Austin who has worked
in the field of education and prevention for 28 years.
She said that the research done in the past decade has given
us a new understanding of brain development.
Schiebel said that our
brains develop through the age of 25, and there are peaks where the
brain is more susceptible to outside influences and learning.
The first two peaks are during pregnancy and the first 5-6
years of childhood, but the final stage is from 12-18 years of age.
At this time we learn to reason, to control impulses, and to
think about the consequences of our actions.
When teenagers drink
alcohol, it affects their brain’s ability to function properly,
including memory, the ability to learn new material, and the ability
to perceive danger. This
is why kids tend to binge drink more than adults; the part of their
brain that tells them to be careful has not fully matured yet.
Janet Taylor, Executive
Director of The Coalition, said “this is important information for
parents, educators, and anyone who works with kids regularly.
Drinking and driving is not the only danger when youth use
alcohol.”
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