Worksheet 1

Alcohol and Your Brain: What to Know

Name: __________________________________

Drinking alcohol affects the way your brain works—changing everything from the way you act to your ability to walk. Some effects can be long-lasting. Learn about how alcohol affects different parts of the brain.¹

Simple illustration of cross-section of a person’s brain with five parts of the brain highlighted by definitions in text boxes. Each definition in a text box contains an arrow that points to a specific part of the brain. From top of illustration, clockwise: Large half-moon shaped section at the top of the brain is called the cerebral cortex. Smaller round area at the back of the brain below the cerebral cortex is called the cerebellum. Small, hook-shaped area in the middle part of the bottom of the brain is called the medulla. The bottom part of the brain where it meets the spinal cord is labeled the central nervous system. Oval-shaped area toward the front of the brain is called the hypothalamus. Small area in the middle of the brain is called the hippocampus.

Use the information above to answer the following questions.

Which part of the brain is responsible for the five senses?
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Which part of the brain is affected when a person experiences a “blackout” in which they can’t remember entire events?
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How can alcohol lead to a coma?
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¹Basic information on this page taken from: “Too Smart to Start.” http://toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/tweens/games/InteractiveBody/index.aspx. “Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain,” Alcohol Alert, no. 63, October 2004. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA63/AA63.htm . “Underage Drinking,” Alcohol Alert, no. 67, January 2006. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm.

Fast Fact

Research suggests that a young person’s brain is more sensitive to some of alcohol’s harmful effects because it is still developing.

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