Question

Addiction affects a wide variety of people regardless of race, economic status, or age. However, the drastic physical and cognitive changes that occur during Adolescence make the risk for addiction higher in some teenagers.

For this assignment, you will look at the connection between Adolescent development and susceptibility to addiction by completing this two-part writing assignment.

Part 1:

Briefly describe the physical development of the brain during Adolescence. Which areas are most significantly impacted and how does their development influence what could be considered “typical” Adolescent behavior?

Part 2:

What is it about the “teenage brain” that might make it more susceptible to addiction and the risk behaviors that are often associated with it?

Answer 1

• Part 2
• Teens have always been impulsive risk-takers, but modern research helps explain why they are and how this puts them at a greater risk for addiction than adults. It all comes down to the development of the frontal lobe of the human brain. It is the last part of the brain to mature and the region that is responsible for making decisions, for controlling impulses and for risk-taking. With this area still in development, teens are at highly susceptible to making bad choices when it comes to substance abuse and for becoming addicted.
• One aspect of brain-building that is still in development in the teenage years is the creation of myelin, the insulating fat that surrounds brain cells. Without the insulation, certain areas of the brain don’t function as well. For teens, the last part of the brain to get that insulation is the prefrontal cortex.
  
• The prefrontal cortex is responsible for key executive functions. We use it to make insights, to have empathy for others, to control our impulses and to make choices about behaviors that may be risky. Without complete connections here, teenagers are less able than adults to make quick, important decisions and to control impulses. Earlier research already found that impulse control is a big factor in substance abuse and addiction. People who are more impulsive are more likely to abuse substances.
• The impulsive nature of the teenager, along with a decreased ability to see the harm in risky behaviors, often leads to substance abuse.
  
• When a teen abuses a drug, he or she builds a new circuit based on reward. As with learning something new, this circuit is easier to build and strengthen in a teenage brain. The result is that teens abusing substances become addicted more quickly and more heavily than adults do. It is a myth that young people are more resilient when it comes to substance abuse. The reality is that drugs and alcohol have more permanent and lasting effects on the teenage brain.
• Due to time limit,remaining questions can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation