Hey there, BRAIN POWER team! I’m the cerebral cortex, or should I say WE are the cerebral cortex! We are made up of four sections of your brain called lobes. Because we lobes all work together so well, you can think of us as a four-man bobsled team. On the outside, we may appear to be just a wrinkly layer of brain matter, but we lobes are in charge of very important functions such as decision making, controlling your five senses, movements and thought processes. In order for us to make it to the bottom of the dangerous, icy bobsled track and take the gold, it’s important for you to use your five senses and make good decisions—and that means saying no to underage drinking.

If someone offers you an alcoholic drink before you turn 21, the best choice is to say NO. This cerebral cortex squad, along with the rest of the BRAIN POWER team, is still growing and maturing. Alcohol can have a negative effect on the way we can control your body—just like it can control the way our bobsled drives down the track to the finish line. As the four of us lobes slow down because of alcohol entering your system, it becomes much harder to do the right thing and make the right choices.

Can you imagine not being able to think clearly and control your movements? Just as our coach would never let our bobsled team out of the starting block—that is the same reason that when you ARE old enough to consume alcohol, you should not drive if you are drunk.

You need us—all four lobes of us—to run like a well-oiled machine at all times so we can stay smart and safe. Do you want to learn more about your brain and why it is important to say YES to a healthy lifestyle and NO to underage drinking? Take a look at my video here and check out all of the BRAIN TEAM members here too!