Megan+M.

TEEN ADD​ICTION
Are you in control? media type="youtube" key="eUtPZabMQKk" height="352" width="454" align="center"

High school is said to be the best years of your life. It’s labeled that because those years are depicted as care free, fun, and worriless. This isn’t entirely false, but this kind of thought process in teens can cause bad decision making habits, and those habits turn into dependencies. Teenage dependency or addiction to illegal substances is something that will not only ruin the best years of your life but also ruin the rest of your life. Teen addiction is an emotional problem that 18 million people suffer from, and half don’t even know it ([|Teen Addiction Statistics]).

**You've got questions. I have your answers.**

-What can cause an addiction?
First of all what is an addiction? It’s a deep dependency of a substance. So what creates this dependency within teenagers? The three main causes of addiction is peer pressure, family history of addiction, and unawareness.



PEER PRESSURE
Being a teen is hard, it truly is, you fight battles everyday against crowds of people telling you what to do, pressuring you. Most teenagers feel the desire to try new things when they reach a certain age, and peer pressure doesn’t make this desire any easier to fight. Because illegal substances have become more and more available, curious teenagers are in danger of becoming addicted. “Addiction requires a prior experience with a substance" (Rodgers 5). The first contact with that substance, also referred to experimenting, may or may not lead to dependency. No one can be certain the outcome of teenage drug experimenting. You could become hooked your first time, or not. It’s like flipping a coin, heads you become addicted for a lifetime, tails you get off scot free. Why let peer pressure make that call for you.

FAMILY HISTORY OF ADDICTION
Addiction is a disease of the brain, making it a genetic trait. “Teens with family members who have a history of drug abuse are at an even greater risk for using a variety of drugs" ([|Teen Addiction]). That is because addicts lack Gamma-amino butyric acid, GABA for short. This acid is what tells our bodies to stop instead of go, and without GABA addicts bodies don’t recognize that they should stop because the drug supplies them with pleasure, and pleasure means GO! (Interlandi 2). Alcoholism is one addictive behavior that has been proven as a genetic trait. One way to avoid revealing this genetic trait is to be aware of it; this should motivate you even more to stay away from addictive substances. This can relate to Mozart's talent: "if he'd never come in contact with a piano or with music, it's unlikely he would have expressed or known about his musical gift" (Rodgers 6). In our case your talent is something to avoid, something you don’t wish to express or experience. 

UNAWARENESS
When you are young you learn not to touch the stove because it’s hot, because of that knowledge you precede not to burn yourself. Knowledge of addictive substances and their consequences works the same way. In different cases the best way to learn is by experience, but when it can physically and emotionally harm you, like burning your hand, being aware is the best way to learn. Teenagers may think they are grown up, but they still need guidance from parents. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">

By talking to your kid about illegal substances like alcohol and drugs you may prevent addiction in your teen. That coin toss may come down to how much they’ve talked about the dangers of drugs and alcohol with you, and how clear you have made it that there are server consequences media type="youtube" key="iH8qtxFEyXY" height="344" width="425" align="left"and that addiction could be the outcome. There are plenty of ways to get your child informed, and become aware.
 * __<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">ATTENTION PARENTS __**


 * To the left is a cartoon for parents about how to talk to your children about drugs and alcohol. It shows different scenarios about when to talk to your kids.**

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: left;">So what’s the main cause of addictive behaviors? Its succumbing to peer pressure, you can’t become addicted if you don’t come in contact with an addictive substance. Also being aware and knowledgeable about the consequences of experimenting with drugs and alcohol can spare you a lifetime of dependency and regret. "Addiction is a trap, whether it's triggered by family habits, pressure from friends, or lack of information. Before you let yourself fall into the addiction trap, remember that these substances cause brain changes that are very hard to undo. The only sure way to avoid addiction is to not start in the first place" (Abramovitz 17).

-Are teenagers suseptible to addiction?
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">When you've hit the stage of puberty physical changes go on, these changes are noticeable, but changes that you might not notice are in young adults brains. Beginning at age 11 your brain is undergoing reorganization, it’s what makes us more aware of social issues. During this period our brain is more vulnerable. Because our brains are still growing, and have not reached a fully mature state, teenagers are more prone to "unsavory or reckless behavior"(Teen Addiction 68). This explains sleeping in till noon and getting Mohawk haircuts, things adolescents do. Then what do pleasuring substances do to a developing brain when it's in an adolescent state? Researchers at University of North Carolina were asked the same question. They ran an experiment on adolescent rats. Rats were mammals that showed the most similar adolescent behaviors compared to human teenagers. The researchers tested the brains sensitivity to addictive substances by giving a set of both adolescent and adult rats 10 grams of alcohol per kilogram of the rat’s weight. They gave them this four times a day for four days. After the rat rave the universities researchers looked for brain damage in both sets of rats. They found more in adolescent rats. This brain damage was located in regions associated with addiction (Teen Addiction 70). Because this period in time is a vulnerable one for our brain we are more susceptible to addiction by exposing ourselves to addictive substances, in the rat’s case alcohol. The picture above and to the right is a chart that shows the maturity of our brain from five years old to twenty years. The images chart the amount of gray matter, the gray matter is where the brain is not yet mature. The prefrontal cortex is one of the last things to mature, and we use that to make executive decisions, like whether or not to try drugs and alcohol. This is just another reason teenage drug abuse is beyond dangerous.

=-What kind of life will I live as an addict?= <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; text-align: center;"> Living a life of addition is no one’s fantasy. Addiction it’s a lonely, self destructive, unhealthy lifestyle. When you become addicted to a substance or behavior that addiction become your life. It feels like that’s all you need, you become dependent of it. "Addiction causes repeated behavioral problems. Takes a lot of a person’s time and energy"(Rodgers 5). Addictions are not only taxing to your emotions but towards your wallet as well. "You end up investing hundreds-more likely thousands- of dollars to keep up with yourself"(Dudley 2). This was stated by a teen inhalant addict. He also says addicts end up selling drugs in order to continue paying for their lifestyle of needed high. Have you heard the saying misery loves company? Addicts live based on this saying. When not high or intoxicated addicts feel miserable, in order to cure this horrible misery they turn to their addiction. What they don’t know is that their company is what actually causes the misery. Angela Mendell tells her story living as an addict and getting a wakeup call. Angela began to think about her decisions in life when her best friend was shot and killed. She says, "The thing that really made me straighten up was that I knew the two guys who killed him. I had partied with them." (Teen Addiction 133). Because of the behavioral problems addicts go through close friends and family in most cases are shunned. The only place left to go is to people like Angela’s friends. Killers, addicts, and drug dealers. Often these characters also suffer from addictive habits. Does this sound like a life of luxury to you?

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 * In the video to the right a mother and a daughter share their stories of the daughters addictive behaviors and life. Along the way she discovers that the path she's taken has lead her to nothing but heart ache.**

How to Get Help
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">There are many places you can turn to for help. -phone lines -support groups -professional physicians


 * Below are links to support groups that can help.**



ADDICTION SUPPORT GROUPS
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">[|SupportGroups.com] is for individuals, friends and families who are looking to connect during life's challenging times. Share personal experiences, evaluate information and get support during times of need, illness, treatment or recovery. Groups brought to you by [|MyAddiction.com]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">[|Alcohol Support Groups]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">[|Drug Support Groups]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">[|Prescription Drug Support Groups]
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">[|Smoking Support Groups]

Web Sites
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Here are other links I've put together for your informational benefit. Looking for more advice check out the websites I've graded and evaluated in order to put together the most accurate information. // All ratings are out of 20 points based on credibility, accuracy, reasonableness, and support. //

[|Psychology Today] The link above is to an article titled Addiction: A Whole New View. This article has information about the science of addiction. ** 18/20 ** [|Teen Advice] The link above goes to a Teen Advice page sponsored by About.com. The article directly linked is tittled Experimentation or Addiction? It covers teenage addiction and signs of drug use. ** 19/20 ** [|Teen Drug Abuse] The link above is geared toward parents. It has information about how to deal with teenagers and drug abuse. ** 19/20 ** [|Adolescent Substance Abuse] The link above provides shocking statistics and a great informational purpose. There are many links to treatment centers and support groups. The articles are made up of survalence teams, interviewing teens .<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> ** 18/20 **

**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> The information on this page is for informational purposes only and cannot replace physicians advice. If struggling with an addiction or a child with addictive behaviors see your physician for advice.

WORKS CITED ** "Daily Herald | Scientists say teen brain, still maturing, key to behavior." //Daily Herald Home Page//. Daily Herald. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://www.dailyherald.com.> Dudley, Willam. "A Teen's Inside View of Drug Addiction." //Teen Decisions: Drugs// (2002): 1-3. //Gale CENGAGE learning//. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. <http://www.galegroup.com>. Gaughen, Shasta. //Contemporary Issues Companion - Teen Addiction (hardcover edition) (Contemporary Issues Companion)//. New York: Greenhaven, 2001. Print. Interlandi, Jeneen. "What Addicts Need." //NEWS WEEK// (2008): 1-6. //SIRS//. Web. 27 Jan. 2010. <http://www.sirs.com>. Rodgers, Joann E. "Addiction: A Whole New View." //Psychology Today// (1994): 1-12. //SIRS//. Web. 27 Jan. 2010. <http://www.sirs.com>. "Teen Addiction." //My Addiction//. Holistic Addiction Treatment Program. Web. 7 Feb. 2010. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; msoansilanguage: EN-USmso-bidi-language;">"Teen Addiction Statistics." //Teen Advice//. WordPress. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.