Early Onset of Substance Use:
Contributing Factors for the Rapid Progression to Addiction
Adolescent drug use in
our society is often times viewed as a harmless phase that teens
will eventually outgrow. Many believe that teens need to use
drugs for several years into adulthood before actually becoming
addicted. However, research indicates that the earlier an adolescent
begins using drugs & alcohol, the greater the chances of
his/her use progressing rapidly into chemical dependency.
Research conducted by Grant and Dawson showed that the age when
a person started drinking was a strong predictor for future alcoholism
as defined by DSM-IV. This research focused on the age at drinking
onset of 42,862 subjects and isolated factors such as age, sex,
race and family history of alcohol abuse and dependence. The
results of this research indicated that when a thirteen-year-old
starts drinking, s/he has a 43% chance of becoming an alcoholic.
If however, the thirteen-year-old has a family history of alcoholism,
the probability of him/her becoming an alcoholic increases to
58%. In contrast, if the person starts drinking at age 21 and
has no family history of alcoholism, the probability of alcoholism
is reduced to 10% (Grant, Bridget & Dawson, Deborah, "Age
at Onset of Alcohol Use and Its Association With DSM-IV Alcohol
Abuse and Dependence: Results from the National Longitudinal
Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, Journal of Substance Abuse, 1997.)
As this study strongly suggests, rapid progression of chemical
addiction in teens appears to be highly correlated with age of
onset of first use and a family history of alcoholism.
Why does using at an early age contribute to a rapid progression to addiction?
From birth to age 18, the
brain is both growing and developing. During this process the
brain is taking clues from the environment to determine how much
serotonin, GABA and other neurotransmitters it should produce.
If a person is using drugs during this period of time, the brain
will not recognize marijuana or alcohol as drugs. It will see
them as an over abundance of GABA or serotonin and other neurotransmitters.
Because the brain thinks we live in a world were our necessary
neurotransmitters comes from joints and beers, it stops producing
its own supply. As a result, the brain has a chemical imbalance
and craving for a drug occurs for the user trying to fulfill
the missing brain chemistry. This is how people develop addiction
vs. being predisposed genetically.
Other Contributing Variables
· Adolescents tend
to use a combination of drugs. While
adults with drug problems typically use only one drug, the drug
use history for a teen drug user can consist of 10 -15 different
drugs. A combination of drugs being abused effects a combination
of neurotransmitters and fuels brain damage. As a result, the
adolescent must use increasing amounts of these drugs in order
to get the same desired effect which in turn, contributes to
the rapid development of addiction.
· Use of Stimulant Drugs: Stimulant drugs appear to be another cause of the rapid progression of chemical dependency in adolescents. This is due to the fact that these drugs tend to cause dopamine to be released in very large amounts. As a result of this "rush" in dopamine, tolerance develops quickly and the user starts to loose the ability to experience pleasure unless they are intoxicated.
· School Environment: Easy access to drugs at school significantly contributes to the progression of drug use. Many schools have become a "drug supermarket" where adolescents can buy and sell drugs as well as join in the camaraderie of sharing their fun drug experiences and planning new times to get "high." I am not saying that the schools are the problem, but it is the meeting place for kids to congregate Monday through Friday.
· For drug-using adolescents, intoxication is their social event. Although the social events of adults, such as weddings, New Year's Eve, and Super Bowl Sunday, may promote the use of chemicals, the chemical use is only part of the social situation. However, for drug-using adolescents, drug use is the social event. In other words, the main reason for socializing is to become intoxicated.
Many adults (parents and professionals) tend to view adolescent drug use from an "adult" model of drug use. The "adult" model tells us that people need to use for many years and experience physical withdrawal symptoms to have addiction… This is not a valid view for adolescent drug users…