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By: Fiona Ton (Student and Member of TECH Youth Coalition) Authors Note: As a Sophomore at Liberty High School in Renton, WA, I take great pride in sharing my thoughts and voice here at the TECH Youth Coalition in Influence the Choice (Teens Encouraging Community Health). Here at TECH, I am welcomed to a very inclusive and approachable environment filled with many students with views to change the world in terms of mental health and substance use. I am extremely honored here at TECH to be a part of this organization as I get to explore new meaningful opportunities ranging from promoting campaigns to having the chance to talk to Washington legislators about our cause and our ideas. I believe that the topic of alcohol use regarding teens is very important for me because living in a society where people close to me are affected by alcohol concerns me as a teenager myself and a representative to advocate for more awareness. I take this chance to spread my ideas and personal thoughts regarding mental health to give a voice for my community, and I hope to one day to create a healthier future and environment. Being a member and advocate under TECH Youth Coalition will bring me further in sharing my voice.  According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “12.7 million people ages 12 to 20 (32.9% in this age group) reported that they have had at least one drink in their lives” (NIH). In the 21st century, the consumption of alcohol has increased amongst teenagers and has started to become a worldwide epidemic. However, many teenagers don't take a second to think about the future consequences that lurk from their shiny and attractive packaging—consequences that break an innocent teenager’s well-being. To fully understand the severity of the downsides of alcohol on teenagers, it's essential to consider how alcohol interferes with one of the most important aspects of development, the brain itself. Alcohol Manipulates Brain Receptors, One of the Key Components of Brain Growth for Adolescents:  Prefrontal Cortex As a child grows into adolescence, their brain development is one of the key aspects that distinguishes their thinking, decisions, and behavior from their younger counterpart, often acting on maturity rather than emotion. Due to this vulnerability during development, many factors and influences can heavily impact and reduce the development of a teen's brain, which is developed through the prefrontal cortex. One of these influences is alcohol, as it carries more negative side effects to the brain than other influences. This is due to the reason that alcohol contains the depressant, ethanol, meaning that once it's entered into the system, this causes the key neural transmitter systems contained in the prefrontal cortex, such as the GABA and glutamate systems, to slow down, reducing the ability to make common decisions and keep control through adolescence. This brain’s neural processes then adjust to the negative effects being created, slowing down the whole neural system. This creates the relaxing and soothing feelings of alcohol, but on the inside, your brain is constantly being disrupted, affecting the way teenagers absorb information and develop into maturity. Short-term Psychological and Behavioral effects of Alcohol on the Teen Brain: When relying on the soothing effects of alcohol, this causes the impairment of cognitive functions that are relied on by your brain. As a teenager ages through decisions and experiences where risk-taking is crucial. This expands the brain plasticity of your development, creating the growth of new neural pathways in the brain to adapt to new types of learning skills. This exposure to new activities and information, however, is vulnerable when alcohol is inserted in the brain, which establishes a blockade of how the brain matures to function, causing behaviors to be more delayed and slurred. For example, this can be seen in the lack of sleep, effects in muscle coordination, lack of memory, and if it gets to a higher point, frequent blackouts. These blackouts are caused by the “euphoric” feelings created by alcohol, giving a false sense of security and conformity to one’s mind. When being approached with the societal craze of the positive effects of alcohol comes with the accumulative downside of destroying neural pathways in your brain, blocking the development of growth in the neural system. Long Term Effects in the Real World: On average, “Adults who had taken their first drink of alcohol before the age of 15 were 6.5 times more likely to experience an alcohol use disorder than those who didn’t” (Responsibility). This explains the build-up of alcohol intake that can affect the well-being and livelihood of many teens even after going through adulthood. This high dependence on alcohol not only affects your brain function, which becomes linked to disorders like binge drinking or heavy drinking, but this can also create a negative and inflammatory effect on other organs. This can be seen through the heart and liver as high blood pressure is stimulated by the overuse of receptors in the neural system and hormones into the brain, creating life-threatening conditions and diseases such as strokes, kidney diseases, or even cardiac arrests. When one small drink may be seen as harmless, this can ultimately shorten the well-being and life of one precious individual in the world. Main Consensus: The Dangers of Alcohol on Teens As alcohol starts to become popular among teen culture, being widely available in many areas where teenagers can get a hold of it, it's best to recognize the dangers that can lead to addiction. These dangers result in altering brain functions and cognitive skills that will impair their way of learning and growth in the short and long term. It's best to recognize and spread more awareness of this cause because it's important to understand the severity of this situation amongst teenagers and take it into account in their future actions. In addition, it's important to look over our own friends and family to keep them safe and healthy before it's too late, creating a healthier and supportive community. If you would like more information on community initiatives here at Influence the Choice, please contact us and reach out. We are always here to listen to your thoughts! We offer many programs and events to promote substance awareness and our cause. Be sure to check it out!  WORKS CITED:
“Underage Drinking in the United States (Ages 12 to 20).” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/underage-drinking-united-states-ages-12-20. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025. Bonnie, Richard J. “Consequences of Underage Drinking.” Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37591/. “Statistics on Underage Drinking.” Responsibility.Org - Promoting Responsible Alcohol Decisions, 3 Oct. 2025, www.responsibility.org/alcohol-statistics/underage-drinking-statistics/ “Teen Drinking & Brain Development: What Every Parent & Teen Should Know.” The Impact of Alcohol on the Developing Teen Brain, 5 Apr. 2025, deconstructingstigma.org/guides/drinking-teen-brain. “Underage Drinking in the United States (Ages 12 to 20).” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/underage-drinking-united-states-ages-12-20. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025.
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