Teen Drug Abuse and The Brain

How Long Must a Person Use Illegal
Drugs Before They Become Drug Addicts?

There isn't an answer that is based on any evidence. The truth is that no one really knows the number of times it may take before a person crosses the line into addiction. In many ways, the drugs available today are much more ptent than those from just a few years ago. Adolescents and young adults have been checking into rehabs and detox clinics in record numbers. But the strength of the drugs is only one piece of the puzzle. Genetics also plays a big role. Everything from the environment someone grew up in to whether or not either of their parents drank alcohol factor into the equation as well. And genetics are just as likely to prevent a young adult from slipping into drug addiction. This much is know... after enough doses, hits, tokes, swigs or trips the body's limbic system will experience withdrawal and then cravings for more of whatever it was polluting it in the first place.

When the body experiences a sudden stoppage of chemicals that it had spent a lot of energy converting and trying to become comfortable with, the body simply rebels. Drugs had been replacing the bodies internal drug, dopamine, causing a drastic slowing in natural production as well as a constant attack on dopamine receptors. The "high" created by illegal substances had been covering up the physical and emotional train wreck that occur shortly after the last intake of drugs, whether they were uppers like meth and cocaine, or depressants, like opiates, heroin and pain killers.

Planned or unplanned, like it or not, the brain of a teenager wil be forever changed from the chemicals that make up drugs of abuse. And with the physical change, an addicted teen has changed the way his or her brain actually works. These changes are generally long-term, caused by the inability, once addicted, to suffer through withdrawal, depression, suicidal thoughts, physical pain and a non-stop feeling of dread, sadness and lonliness. The changes taking place in the brain also contribute to a drug abusers inability to control their intake of alcohol and drugs once they start. The power to choose has been severely altered, sometimes forever.