Adolescent Substance Abuse

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21.5 million American adults battled a substance use disorder in 2014 (Statistics on Drug). with that being said, over ninety percent of Americans battling addiction started their drug-using habits during their adolescent years (Addiction Statistics). This staggering percentage is not indicative of a cultural issue or passing trends of the decades, but of a physiological weakness seen consistently throughout youth. Compared to adults, adolescents face more detrimental long-term effects of substance abuse, because of their social, physical, and mental vulnerability.
The use and abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol not only affects the consumer, but also his or her family, friends, and community,
Often, decisions regarding substance usage is made with inadequate information or even misinformation. Due to the nature of adolescent substance usage, it is unlikely for a teen to confront a knowledgeable adult for advice and information before using the drug or consuming alcohol; therefore, the source of information many teens resort to is their peers or the internet. More often than not, a teen who is advising another on drug use is going to claim more merit than what actually exists. These so-called veterans are likely to omit crucial information regarding the consequences that the drug-in-question imposes. Because of this, many of society’s youth are blind-sided with the negative results that lie in the life of substance use. This is why it is crucial that children are well-educated of the reality of substance use; and while that education is not guaranteed to be adequate in the public educational system, it must begin at
Just a few parts of the brain affected by alcohol consumption include the cerebral cortex, the frontal lobes, the hippocampus, the hypothalamus, and the medulla. The frontal lobes play a large role in controlling emotions and urges, and can develop permanent damage with prolonged exposure to the chemicals from alcohol and drugs. Damage to the hippocampus, which retains memories, may cause short-term memory problems as well as problems with learning and retaining new information (Allison 1). MRI studies show that the development of the prefrontal cortex and outer mantle of the brain may not be completed until the mid-twenties. When the development nears completion , the connecting nerve tissues within the brain become coated in a fatty layer called a myelin sheath, which acts as an aid in the transmission of information within the brain (The Effects of). Doctors have found that with prolonged use of alcohol, the attention span of boys is negatively affected and the comprehension and interpretation of visible Information is greatly inhibited in girls. Additionally, tests have shown that binge-drinkers perform more poorly on thinking and memory tests in comparison to teens who have never drank (Allison