Report: 90 Percent of Addicts Started Using as Teens

Filed under: ,


teen drug use

The teen years are a time when addiction is especially possible, because adolescent brains are more sensitive and teens are more apt to experiment. Credit: Getty Images

Sorry, parents, but drug use among many teens is not just a passing phase.

A new report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) shows 90 percent of addicts in the U.S. began taking drugs, smoking or drinking alcohol in high school, ABC News reports.

"We now have enough science to show that adolescent substance use is America's no. 1 public health problem," Susan Foster, senior investigator of the study, tells the network. "By recognizing this as a health problem and responding to it, we can actually make the difference by improving the life prospects of teens and saving costs in society."

Experts tell ABC the teen years are a time when addiction is especially possible, because adolescent brains are more sensitive and teens are more apt to experiment.

"The brain is still developing up until age 25, so when you put nicotine and psychoactive substances in the body, it's actually messing with the brain as it's developing," Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the University of California at San Francisco Center for Tobacco and Research and ! Educatio n, tells the network. "Nicotine tends to be the gateway drug when kids start smoking younger. They're more likely to become addicted and smoke for a longer period of time."

Glantz continued to say that smoking creates permanent changes in the brain. When a person quits, some of those changes reverse, but never completely. Researchers also know that tobacco, alcohol and other drugs act similarly in the brain, so that the use of one substance heightens the risk of dependence on others.

Foster tells ABC teens should be screened for family addiction and mental health histories.

"We need to ... ask questions and intervene and understand what circumstances exist in the family, including mental health conditions, history of addiction and eating disorders," she tells the network.

Permalink | Email this | Comments


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jenna Lyons divorce: Lesbian lover of J Crew boss outed as Courtney Crangi

Image
Add to My Stories Share The 'other woman' thought to have been behind the split of one of America's most influential fashion executives and her husband of nine years has been revealed. J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons, who is divorcing her artist husband of nine years, Vincent Mazeau, is said to be seeing top jewellery executive Courtney Crangi, 38, according to the New York Post. The pair have been photographed together repeatedly over the years, most recently this summer. Modern family: J Crew' Jenna Lyons, left, posed with her son Beckett, 5, rumored girlfriend Courtney Crangi and Crangi's daughter Coco, also 5, on a red carpet in June 2011, as her marriage was ending In June they attended the WSJ OFF DUTY Summer Solstice Celebration together, posing for photographers with Lyons' son Beckett and Crangi's daughter Coco, both five. Ms Lyons and her husband are said to be in the middle of a messy divorce after splitting in the summ
Keep reading

BAFTA TV Awards 2011: The Only Way Is Essex girls lead the glamour

Image
Add to My Stories Share It was one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year, with the biggest names from the television industry attending. But at the Philips Bafta Television Awards it wasn't a TV veteran who stole the show but a group of relative newcomers - the girls from The Only Way Is Essex. Amy Childs, Lauren Goodger, Sam Faiers and Lydia Bright led the glamour last night as they arrived for the annual ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Essex girls leading the way: The Only Way Is Essex stars (left to right) Amy Childs, Lauren Goodger, Lydia Bright and Sam Faiers lead the glamour at the Bafta Television Awards Stealing the show: But it was Amy Childs who stands out from the crowd in her Pia Michi gold gown And it seems that the girls had possibly co-ordinated their outfits, as they all chose sparkly metallic numbers to pose on the red carpet. More... Daisy Lowe causes a stir in a see-through dress at the BAFTA Television Awards as she cuddles up to boy
Keep reading

Small Doses of Vicodin OK for Breast-Feeding Moms, Study Says

Image
Filed under: In The News , Breast-Feeding , Research Reveals Breast-feeding pain may be eased by small doses of Vicodin, a new study shows. Credit: Getty Breast-feeding may be a healthy and economical way to feed and bond with your baby, but it also can be a real pain -- literally -- for some moms who are still cramping and sore from mega hours of labor and C-sections, not to mention the whole nipple pinching thing. But now there's good news on the lactating front: Apparently, it's safe to pop a few Vicodin while you're breast-feeding. The strong painkiller hydrocodone , better known as Vicodin, may be safe in smaller doses for women nursing newborns, U.S. researchers tell Reuters . Only traces of the drug end up in the mother's breast milk, according to findings from a study out of the University of Toronto and the University of California San Diego . Researchers say in cases where weaker painkillers such as acetaminophen ( Tylenol ) or ibuprofen ( Advil ) don't t
Keep reading