An alarming trend is increasingly on the rise, that of addiction among adolescents or young adults. This is a cause of serious worry as it becomes extremely difficult to eliminate substance dependence that begins at young age. Youngsters who are still in their formative years can easily fall prey to the habit of drug or alcohol consumption, owing to various reasons like peer pressure, an impulsive urge to try out new things and sometimes, misguidance from seniors or older people.

The brain of an adolescent is different from that of an adult. This is part of the reason why adolescents are more vulnerable to addiction. The frontal part of the human brain is the part responsible for checking impulsive behavior and sending out warning signals. It is in a sense, the ‘brake mechanism’ of the brain which stops us from performing actions that can be potentially dangerous. Now, in adolescents, this part of the brain is still developing and not yet fully efficient. Simply put, the brake mechanism of an adolescent brain is a little weak and thus, youngsters often act on impulse, not foreseeing the long term effects of their actions. This leads to a high incidence of drug abuse among them, ultimately leading to a point of no return.

Alcohol has been seen to be the most common form of addiction among youngsters. The fact that alcohol is legal and widely available, substantially adds to the problem. But it doesn’t stop there. Once an adolescent has tried out alcohol, he or she begins to move on to different, more dangerous drugs like marijuana, which happens to be the second most widely abused substance after alcohol. From there on to heroin or cocaine etc. which are extremely harmful and nearly impossible to give up.

Shockingly enough, alcoholism among youngsters can start as early as the age of 12 or 13. And as disturbing as it may sound, most often the people responsible for such an onset are the parents. At such a timid age, most young teens obtain their first drink from their very home. Parents therefore need to be extra cautious about keeping alcoholic beverages, even as little as beer, out of the knowledge and reach of children. It’s vital that families share mature conversations regarding such behavior and gain the children’s trust early on, so that they turn to their parents in case of a problem, instead of resorting to alcohol or other harmful measures.

With the advent of internet, sourcing drugs or other addictive substances has become relatively simpler. And if the older child takes to drinking or substance abuse, it is highly probable that the younger sibling too will fall into this vicious trap. Therefore, the role of the parents is to be emphasized once again. If your child is showing signs of anxiety, alteration in school performance like falling grades, frequent violent behavior and withdrawal from the family, the child may be using drugs. Watch out for warning symptoms and act soon. Timely intervention, appropriate medical help and proper counseling may save your child from this evil trap.

Many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. It can be wrongfully assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change their behavior. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting takes more than good intentions. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are ready to do so. Through scientific advances, we know more about how drugs work in the brain than ever, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive lives.

Alcohol And Drug Addiction have negative consequences for individuals and for society. Estimates of the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States, including productivity and health- and crime-related costs, exceed $600 billion annually. This includes approximately $181 billion for illicit drugs,1 $193 billion for tobacco,2 and $235 billion for alcohol.3 As staggering as these numbers are, they do not fully describe the breadth of destructive public health and safety implications of Alcohol And Drug Addiction, such as family disintegration, loss of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, and child abuse.
What Is Drug Addiction?

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her. Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge a person’s self control and ability to resist intense impulses urging them to take drugs.

Fortunately, treatments are available to help people counter addiction’s powerful disruptive effects. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse.

Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal treatment failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that an alternative treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover.
What Happens to Your Brain When You Take Drugs?

Drugs contain chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs cause this disruption: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers and (2) by overstimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain.

Some drugs (e.g., marijuana and heroin) have a similar structure to chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain. This similarity allows the drugs to “fool” the brain’s receptors and activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages.

Other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters (mainly dopamine) or to prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signaling between neurons. The result is a brain awash in dopamine, a neurotransmitter present in brain regions that control movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this reward system, which normally responds to natural behaviors linked to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc.), produces euphoric effects in response to psychoactive drugs. This reaction sets in motion a reinforcing pattern that “teaches” people to repeat the rewarding behavior of abusing drugs.

As a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain adapts to the overwhelming surges in dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine receptors in the reward circuit. The result is a lessening of dopamine’s impact on the reward circuit, which reduces the abuser’s ability to enjoy the drugs, as well as the events in life that previously brought pleasure. This decrease compels the addicted person to keep abusing drugs in an attempt to bring the dopamine function back to normal, except now larger amounts of the drug are required to achieve the same dopamine high—an effect known as tolerance.

Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decisionmaking, learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse, even devastating consequences—that is the nature of addiction.

Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not?

No single factor can predict whether a person will become addicted to drugs. Risk for addiction is influenced by a combination of factors that include individual biology, social environment, and age or stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example:

Biology. The genes that people are born with––in combination with environmental influences––account for about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for Alcohol And Drug Addiction.

Environment. A person’s environment includes many different influences, from family and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and quality of parenting can greatly influence the occurrence of drug abuse and the escalation to addiction in a person’s life.

Development. Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life to affect addiction vulnerability. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it will progress to more serious abuse, which poses a special challenge to adolescents. Because their brains are still developing in the areas that govern decisionmaking, judgment, and self-control, adolescents may be especially prone to risk-taking behaviors, including trying drugs of abuse.

Prevention Is the Key

Drug addiction is a preventable disease. Results from NIDA-funded research have shown that prevention programs involving families, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse. Although many events and cultural factors affect drug abuse trends, when youths perceive drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their drug taking. Thus, education and outreach are key in helping youth and the general public understand the risks of drug abuse. Teachers, parents, medical and public health professionals must keep sending the message that drug addiction can be prevented if one never abuses drugs.

Just like any other addiction, alcohol addiction affects your overall health but is something that you can still stop. There are many effective methods that can help you to stop drinking alcohol once and for all. From specialized government programs to medical professional help, self help and support groups among others, finding the most appropriate method to help you live an alcohol free life is very possible. If you believe that it is high time you stopped drinking alcohol, you must be honest with yourself and know the reasons why you should quit. The following pointers give you more information why you need to stop drinking alcohol.

One major demerit of heavy drinking is that alcohol can lead to early death or permanent damage of vital body organs like the liver and the brain. This is because alcohol depletes your body of the vital nutrients thereby raising your blood pressure, increasing your exposure to cancer as you will have a weaker immune system. With a weak immune system, you will be more exposed to allergies, infections and other diseases. If you are a man, you might experience impotence as a result. On the other hand, women tend to experience problems with their thyroid function.

The second reason why you need to stop drinking alcohol is that when you become dependent on alcohol, your finances are likely to suffer as a prolonged exposure to this destructive substance results to cravings – just like any other drugs.

The third reason why you need to stop drinking alcohol is that alcoholism affects relationships in a very big way. This means that it can have major impacts on your family and social life. Given that alcohol will interfere with your mental wellness, you will not even know that your behavior is affecting the people around you. In many cases, working alcoholics end up losing their jobs, getting into arguments, behaving improperly with some having violent and abusive behavior.

Drinking alcohol can often lead to impaired judgment as well as lack of coordination. Often, this leads to road accidents. Given that the alcoholic will experience physical effects as a result, the drinker is more likely to engage in other harmful activities like using drugs, unprotected sex and even gambling. In some situations, the drinker might experience memory loss or blackout and will not remember some events afterwards.

Another reason why you need to stop drinking alcohol is that drinking is known to make one an easy target for other dangers like rape, abuse and even robbery. One may also suffer from hangover which will make them have serious migraines, feel dehydrated, or fatigued. The drinker is also likely to suffer from stress and severe insomnia.

If you are pregnant, you should stop drinking alcohol as the habit can lead to mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities for the unborn child. What is more, children of alcoholic parents have higher chances of becoming alcoholics themselves.

Basically, there are many reasons why you need to stop drinking alcohol. Lucky enough, there are many ways to kick the habit and start enjoying a healthier life. If you are addicted to alcohol, take the first step into fighting this destructive habit and you will live a quality life.