I attended the University of WI-Madison's annual conference "Boys & Girls At Risk" where one of the keynote speakers was Dr. Timothy Condon, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA]. In his remarks he commented, "Addiction is a developmental disease...starts in childhood and adolescence...exposure to drugs of abuse during adolescence could have profound effects on brain development and plasticity."
In a 2004 study, researchers supported the idea that substance use and substance use disorders show systematic age-related patterns from adolescence to adulthood, thus they are developmental disorders. Monitoring the Future [MTF] data suggests that the typical time for the start of alcohol use as well as the first intoxication is between 7th-10th grades. Some people speculate that this early onset is related to the stress and anxiety produced when transitioning from middle school to high school.
In addition, MTF 2008 data showed that 72% of high school students consumed alcohol (more than a few sips) by the end of high school. More than 50% of 12th graders and 18% of 8th graders reported having been drunk as least once in their life.
The paradox of adolescent drinking is that adolescents may be less sensitive than adults to the adverse effects of alcohol, but are more susceptible to brain changes and the development of alcohol dependence or an alcohol abuse disorder. How does this work? Often times adolescents and college students brag about how much they can drink and party plus still go to class, pass a test, get to work, or some other feat that we would guess impossible after a long night of drinking. Not to mention, there are bragging rights for those that can drink the most or throw up in notorious ways. The adolescent body is at its prime. Their respiratory and circulatory systems are at a peak and their bodies can gain muscle to become a strong structure that is difficult to hurt. Participating in these risky behaviors and not realizing (or suffering) the serious consequences is known as the "health paradox" of the adolescent.
The second part of the paradox is what we should be most concerned about. The developing adolescent brain is more vulnerable to alcohol than adults. The human brain has a natural quality of being "plastic" or changeable, this is called "plasticity." The adolescent brain is very "plastic," not as "stable" as adult brains and therefore more apt to be negatively affected by alcohol. As mentioned in Post #2, the frontal lobes of the adolescent brain are still developing. This area helps us control our desires, emotions and assists in decision-making. When this area is "flooded" with alcohol, the frontal lobes can be damaged.
The use, abuse and dependence on alcohol that can happen during adolescence can lead to an addiction. National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] defines addiction as a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. [Remember this is also the definition of "adolescent brain development" - changes in the structure and function of the young child's brain to the adult brain.] NIDA lists other qualities of addiction as: (1) compulsive drug-craving, seeking and using; (2) use persists even in times of negative consequences; (3) there is a loss of control in limiting the intake of the substances; and (4) it implies a likelihood of relapse.
Does this describe an adolescent in your life?
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