{"id":20008,"date":"2025-10-18T16:26:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T15:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20008"},"modified":"2026-01-11T18:04:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:04:38","slug":"how-drugs-alter-the-developing-brain-priming-adolescents-for-risk-and-dependency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/10\/how-drugs-alter-the-developing-brain-priming-adolescents-for-risk-and-dependency\/","title":{"rendered":"How drugs alter the developing brain, priming adolescents for risk and dependency"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<h1 class=\"entry-title \" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><span class=\"byline\">by Amaya Rambel &#8211; Pleasanton Weekly &#8211; <\/span><span class=\"posted-on\"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-10-06T17:45:32-07:00\">October 6, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"main-content\">\n<article id=\"post-664351\" class=\"post-664351 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-alameda-county tag-opioid-crisis-page membership-content access-restricted entry\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/10\/how-drugs-alter-the-developing-brain-priming-adolescents-for-risk-and-dependency\/pill-brain\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-20036\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20036\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Pill-brain.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"635\" height=\"466\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Adolescence is a critical stage of growth, a time when young people begin to make their own independent choices in preparation for adulthood. However, it is also a time of vulnerability, especially when it comes to exposure to drugs and other harmful substances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Because the brain is still developing, particularly in areas that control decision-making and impulse regulation, adolescents face unique risks that can affect their health and overall well-being.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">It is a well-established fact that the human brain does not fully mature until around the age of 25, leaving adolescents and young adults more vulnerable to the harmful effects of harmful substances. When exposure occurs during these critical years of development, it can cause both immediate harm and long-term consequences that may follow individuals well-into adulthood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">One of the key reasons for this vulnerability lies in the development of the brain itself. According to the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/adolescence-a-high-risk-time-for-substance-use-disorders-2018080714402\">Harvard Health article \u201cAdolescence: A high-risk time for substance use disorders<\/a>\u201d by Sharon Levy and Siva Sundaram, \u201cthe adolescent brain is \u2018deliberately\u2019 set up for risk-taking.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Areas such as the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain which plays a central role in judgment, impulse control, and decision-making, are still \u201cunder construction\u201d during adolescence. Because of this, younger individuals are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including experimenting with drugs, often without fully understanding the dangers. The earlier drug use begins, the greater the potential for lasting harm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1 \"><\/aside>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Substance use during this developmental period primes the brain for addiction and chronic health problems. Addiction occurs when the brain\u2019s pleasure receptors are overstimulated, creating an artificial \u201creward system\u201d that encourages repeated drug use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">For adolescents, this effect is magnified due to their still-developing neural pathways. With a heightened sensitivity to pleasure and a weaker ability to assess long-term consequences, teens are more likely to fall into cycles of use and dependency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">What further exacerbates this issue is the limbic system, the part of the brain that processes emotions and rewards. Unlike the prefrontal cortex, the limbic system matures earlier, meaning teens often experience intense emotional responses and a stronger drive for immediate gratification.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Drugs offer that instant burst of dopamine, which quickly reinforces use through a \u201cuse-reward-repeat\u201d pattern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Over time, this can disrupt the brain\u2019s natural ability to feel pleasure, making ordinary activities less satisfying and increasing reliance on substances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2 \"><\/aside>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The health risks tied to early drug use extend far beyond the brain. Adolescents who use drugs, as noted in the article\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/healthy-lifestyle\/tween-and-teen-health\/in-depth\/teen-drug-abuse\/art-20045921\">\u201cTeen drug abuse: Help your teen avoid drugs\u201d<\/a>\u00a0published by Mayo Clinic, face heightened risks of heart attacks, strokes, organ damage, and worsening mental health conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Early experimentation can also serve as a gateway to more harmful substances, escalating the risks over time. Adding to the concern,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0028390813002840?via%3Dihub\">research published in Neuropharmacology<\/a>\u00a0reports that patterns of substance use can pass down genetically, making future generations more susceptible to addiction as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Ultimately, drug use during adolescence is not just a temporary risk, but one that can set the stage for a lifetime of consequences. By understanding the unique vulnerabilities of the developing brain, it becomes clear why prevention and education are important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Protecting adolescents from early exposure to drugs is not only about safeguarding their present, but about preserving their future health as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/www.pleasantonweekly.com\/alameda-county\/2025\/10\/06\/how-drugs-alter-the-developing-brain-priming-adolescents-for-risk-and-dependency\/<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Amaya Rambel &#8211; Pleasanton Weekly &#8211; October 6, 2025 Adolescence is a critical stage of growth, a time when young people begin to make their own independent choices in preparation for adulthood. However, it is also a time of vulnerability, especially when it comes to exposure to drugs and other harmful substances. Because the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,144,63,41,119,40,19,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction","category-age-related","category-brain-and-behaviour","category-drug-use-effects-on-foetus","category-prevalence","category-prevention-research","category-usa","category-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20008"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20040,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20008\/revisions\/20040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}