Repeated drug use permanently rewires your brain
Addiction is learned behavior, it's a rewiring of your brain, it can be unlearned but is difficult
Brain is fooled into thinking that it needs the drug to survive (that's why we see extreme and/or risky drug seeking behaviors)
The earlier the drug use, the more likely addiction can occur
Adolescent rats are more likely to become addicted than adult rats
Those who use drugs or alcohol before the age of 15 are more likely to: fail in school, be convicted of a crime, and/or have substance abuse problems as an adult
Extensive use of alcohol or marijuana in adolescents show decreased brain activity during memory tasks
With excess use of alcohol, more brain cells are killed in teens than in adults, and teens have a lower threshold for brain injury than adults do
THC (active ingredient in marijuana) blocks learning at the cellular level
First time methamphetamine use depletes dopamine levels significantly
Methamphetmine destroys dopamine receptor sites, and studies show that 7 years after non-use, there are still missing receptor sites
"Fun" drugs are being presented to middleschoolers to make it more appealing
Adolescents are very good at hiding drug use, and a study showed that parents' perception of teen drug use was much lower than the teens' actual use