Teen substance misuse is both highly common and disproportionately dangerous. While teenage years are marked by experimentation and even risk-taking, adolescent drug use can lead to devastating consequences that simply aren’t worth the risk.
Feeling overwhelmed? Talk it out with someone who gets it. Text 510-256-9420 and we’ll get back to you between Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm, or contact us at Project Eden.
Why Teens Use Drugs
The basic science behind substance use is simple. Teenagers use drugs for many of the same reasons that adults do: to feel good, to feel better, or because other people are doing them. But to the adolescent brain, these pressures can be even more powerful and reinforcing than to a fully developed adult.
Teenagers face a wide range of challenges, have several expectations put upon them, and crave a sense of belonging to a social group. All of these can contribute to different types of substance use and may increase their risk of developing a substance use disorder.
For example:
- A teen may use prescription drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall to help them focus or do well on an exam
- Adolescents may use cannabis or alcohol to fit in with a group of friends
- Teens going through a mental health crisis may turn to opioids or other drugs in an attempt to cope with their symptoms
People use drugs for a reason. But for teens, who still have a developing brain, casual or experimental use can rapidly develop into a lasting substance use disorder, which often requires professional intervention to overcome.
Symptoms of a Substance Use Disorder
Substance use disorders in teens are diagnosed the same way they are in adults. The American Psychiatric Association lists eleven key criteria to determine whether a person has developed a substance use disorder, which includes:
- Craving your substance of choice
- Tolerance to your substance of choice
- Withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop
- Multiple failed attempts to stop on your own
- Spending a great deal of time using, recovering from, or seeking out substance use
- Continued substance use despite social or interpersonal consequences
- Using substances when it is dangerous to do so
- Taking more substances than intended or for longer than intended
- Giving up on important activities or hobbies because of substance use
- Continued substance use despite worsening physical or mental health
- Substance use interferes with activities such as work or school
Meeting just two of these symptoms may indicate the presence of a substance use disorder.
The Adolescent Brain and Substance Use
Though the criteria for addiction are the same between adults and adolescents, there are important differences that make each group distinct.
One major distinction is the brain. Adolescent brain development plays an important role in the risk of addiction, predisposing teens to adolescent risk-taking, impulsivity, and a preference for highly rewarding activities such as substance use.
Brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex, which is largely responsible for regulating emotions and behavior, aren’t yet fully developed in adolescents. This means that adolescents can often struggle to control problematic behavior, and coping strategies that work for adults often don’t work well for adolescents.
If adolescent substance use transitions into an addiction, then teens may experience lasting changes in the brain’s reward network as well. These changes make it difficult for an adolescent to experience a sense of motivation and reward for activities outside of substance use.
Brain changes made during adolescence can be incredibly durable. If a substance use disorder continues into adulthood, teens can face lasting challenges with motivation, feeling a sense of reward, and their overall mental health.
The good news is that during adolescence, the brain is inherently resilient. Changes caused by a substance use disorder can quickly return to normal in adolescents who achieve abstinence, resetting any potential alterations that were caused by adolescent drug use.
Finding Treatment for Teen Substance Misuse
As frightening as teen addiction can be, there is hope for adolescents to achieve recovery. There is an abundance of evidence-based treatment options designed specifically to help adolescents quit substance use once and for all and live stronger, healthier lives in recovery.
Teen drug detox can help your teenager overcome the symptoms of physical withdrawal. Recovery programs for teens can provide ongoing professional and peer-to-peer support for recovery. Working with a therapist can help treat co-occurring mental health conditions and help teens find healthier alternatives to drug and alcohol use.
The science of teen addiction clearly shows the dangers of using drugs or alcohol at a young age, but it also shows that achieving abstinence and recovery is within reach for anyone.
Looking for help avoiding alcohol and drugs? Reach out to us at Project Eden and improve your life today.
