Substance Abuse And Addiction In Adolescence

According to current statistics released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “In the United States in 2011, there were an estimated 25.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17. In the past year, more than one quarter of adolescents drank alcohol, approximately one fifth used an illicit drug, and almost one eighth smoked cigarettes” ("A Day in the Life of American Adolescents," 2013, para. 1). Substance abuse is major problem amongst adolescents. Some are experimenting, but some adolescents may become dependent on a particular substance. If one becomes dependent on a substance as an adolescent it could be detrimental to their future health and success as an adult. Spear (2003) stated in an article titled Alcohol’s

In the adolescence period of development, late childhood is entering a new stage. Adolescence is a transition between childhood and adulthood. It involves changes in many different aspects including personality, physical altercations, intellectual, and social development. During this time of change, teens are faced with many issues and decisions. I will discuss the impact this stage of life has on social development. While healthy development on an individual should pass through from infancy to late adulthood, adolescence is the prime time in which certain, specific theories come into play. Every theory builds off each other to create this healthy development.

Adolescence is a unique stage of life, where physical, emotional, and cognitive begin to change. It is the period, where they are more easily influenced, more exposed and more curious about different activities. It is the transition from childhood

The use and abuse of substances can have a big impact on children and adolescents. It comes with various negative health affects. The use of alcohol and other drugs can affect the development of adolescents’ brains in ways like decreased performance in cognitive tasks like memory, attention and spatial skills as well as compromised quality of white matter in the brain. Using alcohol and other substances that alter the brain function can result in an increased risk of serious drug use later on in life, failure in school, and poor judgments that can result in

Adolescence is the developmental period of transition from childhood to early adulthood, entered at approximately 10 to 12 years of age and ending at 18 years of age (Hollingsworth, 2016). This time frame is marked with rapid physical changes such as dramatic gains in height and weight, changes in body contour, and development of sexual characteristics.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Keith E. Lyons, Walden University, Minnesota, MN 55401

hormonal alterations and brain development. The brain is still developing, and it teens engage in drug use,

From a biomedical perspective, adolescent alcohol use is shown to be both an immediate and long-term danger. The adolescent brain undergoes a significant and critical maturation process. Because of this process, the brain

Substance abuse is the excessive absorption or use of a drug or multiple drugs. Many teens try alcohol, tobacco, or other recreational drugs for fun and other purposes rather than medical purposes such as marijuana, ecstasy, and cocaine. Some teens try these substances only a few times and end up not being able to control their cravings for them because they are extremely addictive. The use of drugs among teens, especially the illegal ones, are due to peer pressure, the media and television, imitation of adult role models, the need to be accepted by the society, and stress. Substance abuse can lead to serious problems such as performing poorly in school, loss of family and friends, family problems, and lasting legal issues. Alcohol and drug abuse is a leading cause of teen death and injury related to car crashes, suicides, and violence. Conventional drugs, these days, are easy to get since a huge number of our population use them. Therefore, teens are involved in the usage of drugs and substance abuse because they have easy access to them.

There are many substances that one as an adolescent can have an over accessible problem with. Alcohol and including drugs such as marijuana, lysergic acid Diethylamide LDS, Cocaine etc. can take a huge part of an adolescences neurodevelopment period. With the lack of knowledge these adolescents have with the affect that they can encounter. With resent research done demonstrating the abnormalities of the brain development caused by substance abuse. Abnormalities can be seen even in a small period in which the adolescent had consumption levels of 20 drinks in the period of a month from a 1-2-year range. When drug substance is consumed, such as marijuana anomalies are visible too; however, not to the same degree as alcohol consumption has. The most common substance used among adolescents are having a major effect on their brain development other drastic affects.

Adolescence is the stage of development that elapses from the onset of puberty (onset of secondary sexual characteristics as a result of hormonal changes). Also the biological and the psychological and social development of adolescent growth. Its start and end is different in each individual, and is later in the male. Adolescence is a crucial period for psychosocial development. Begins the constant struggle to shift from dependence on parental figures, independence.

People do drugs because they create the same feelings of pleasure as dopamine (neurotransmitter in brain that influences pleasure). If drug use is too frequent, the chemistry of the brain is altered in that it develops a dependency on drugs to create feelings of pleasure. Despite how the neurobiological consequences of drinking can be reversed during early adolescence, risk of substance abuse shows that preventing substance abuse should start before adolescence begins. Some programs aim to reduce substance abuse by enhancing an adolescent’s psychological development or give adolescents new interests as an alternate to drug use. However, many efforts that don’t change the environment of the adolescent (e.g. Just Say No) are largely unsuccessful. Another problem with prevention programs is not distinguishing between drug use and drug

There would also be a decline in car-crashes and substance abuse among teens if we started school later. First, “Delaying the start time from 7:35am to 8:55am correlated with a 70 percent reduction in car crashes among drivers ages 16 to 18.” This is most likely because students aren’t as in a rush to get to their destination on time. Not to mention their coordination is probably better because of their increased amount of hours sleeping. Second, “Schools also saw a decrease in substance abuse and symptoms of depression.” Drug use among teens is a major problems among teens everywhere in the US. If there was a decrease in substance abuse like the article states, we would have reduced this problem. There would also be a decrease in deaths among

The brain adjusts by producing less or by blocking the body's ability to process it. Because the human brain circuitry is not fully mature until the early twenties. For this reason health specialists believe that addiction is much more likely to occur when a person start using drugs at a young age, there for adolescents drugs use is worse. An investigation by the mail has found the pills are widely available online. The drugs is being carefully marketed to suggest that it can unlock hidden human potential. Addiction occurs because drugs flood the brain with high levels of chemicals associated with pleasure or euphoria particularly dopamine. For all the people drugs mess up your head with the high levels of chemicals. He or she has to use

Adolescence is considered to be the years between 13 and 19. It is known as the transitional period from childhood to adulthood. Adolescence experiences a good deal of physical and psychological changes. These changes can appear as early as pre-teen ages and last until adulthood. During Adolescent stage, Adolescence is discovering their independence and self-identity. They face making though peer choices and decision in regards to drugs, alcohol, social life, and school work. Teens show a high focus on peer groups, romantic interests, and external appearances.