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Alcohol & Drugs in Teenagers

Teen drug and alcohol abuse carries many risks, both for teens and society. The effects of teen drug and alcohol use include an increase in traffic accidents, increased promiscuity, which can cause the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and higher levels of juvenile delinquency. Teens who use drugs or alcohol might also do poorly in school and develop problems that can last a life time.

  1. Adolescent Alcohol Abuse

    • Teens or adolescents are children between the ages of 12 and 20. According to Drug Abuse.gov, about 10.4 million teens drink alcohol. 5.1 million of those teens who drink, binge drink. Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more alcoholic beverages in one sitting. Of the teen drinkers, about 915,000 teens are addicted to or dependent on alcohol.

    Adolescent Drug abuse

    • According to Drug Abuse.gov, 55 percent of all high school seniors have tried some type of illegal drug. Twenty-nine percent of high school seniors have tried a more dangerous drug than marijuana (including inhalants, heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs, acid and Ecstasy). An estimated 1.1 million teenagers in the United States are addicted to or dependent on some type of illegal drug.

    Alcohol & The Teen Brain

    • Because the teen brain is not fully developed, drinking alcohol can create lasting problems and, animal tests suggest, could cause permanent damage to the structure of the brain. Excessive alcohol use could cause permanent brain changes that lead to a decreased ability to solve problems, difficulty remember or retrieving information, a reduced ability to memorize information and hindered visuospatial skills. Alcohol consumption can also adversely affect the frontal limbic system, which deals with emotional activity. A damaged limbic system can lead to antisocial behavior including aggressive behavior, poor self-control, poor decision making, and a lack of respect for social standards of behavior.

    Marijuana & The Teen Brain

    • Teens who regularly engage in heavy marijuana use can also affect their brain. Teens who abuse marijuana might perform worse on thinking tasks, have slower reaction times, have a reduced attention span and be less able to memorize information or make long-term plans. Discontinuing marijuana use might relieve most of these adverse side effects within three weeks of ceasing the use of the drug, however the reduced attention span might linger for a longer period of time or permanently. Girls are especially susceptible to the adverse consequences of marijuana, and studies have shown that girls who smoke marijuana in their teens have larger pre-frontal cortexes, which are associated with poor-decision making.

    Other Drugs

    • Many other drugs used by teens can have an adverse effect on their behavior and development. Ecstasy can cause permanent damage to neurons, and might affect the brain's ability to produce seratonin. Adolescents might also be more sensitive to addictive drugs, including cocaine and amphetamines, because of their developing brains.

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