Still-developing brains are much more susceptible to addiction and permanent damage from drug and alcohol use, a new study shows.
We know teens believe they are impervious to danger, but when it comes to drugs and alcohol, the research shows that they are more vulnerable than adults to harmful effects on the brain. This information was released this week by researchers at Neuroscience 2010, the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego, California.
Why Drugs Have Major Effect on Teens
A teen’s brain is still developing so any sort of drug or alcohol use can affect that ongoing development. Even a drug like marijuana, which many teens see as harmless, can stay in the system for days and affect the ability to learn and remember. But why would pot staying in a teen’s system longer than in an adult’s? It can likely be traced back to the increased number of receptors in a teen’s brain for the drug to bind to. If that’s not scary enough, research has shown that IQ can permanently decrease in teens who regularly use cannabis.
A study led by Staci Ann Gruber of Harvard Medical School found that people who began using marijuana before age 16 and who used it the most performed the worst on a test of cognitive flexibility. In addition, an MRI of the brain of pot smokers shows that the frontal and prefrontal inhibitory areas are affected. Because of the teen brain’s ability to learn so readily, studies are showing that teens are also more susceptible to addiction than adults. The findings for alcohol use in teens are similar.
So while parents may be tempted to write off some dangerous behavior in their teens as “experimentation” or “youthful indiscretion,” drug or alcohol use during the teen years can have consequences for years to come.
Teen Drug Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you love is battling a drug or alcohol addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
