Effects Of Drug Use On The Brain

The Effects of Drug Use on the Adolescent Brain

In the past fifteen years, school districts across the United States have raised awareness of the harmful effects of drug use on the human body, on adolescents in particular. How do drugs damage a teenager’s brain? The function of neurotransmitters in the teenage brain is often targeted and altered by psychoactive substances. The interference of neurotransmitters can directly damage the fragile developing neural connections, and the use of these substances alters perception and may interfere with developing perceptual skills. Raising awareness of such irreversible effects is crucial to decreasing drug use in the teen population.

The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells. Nerves
control everything from when the heart beats to what we feel, think, and do. Nerves do this by sending electrical signals throughout the body. The signals get passed from nerve to nerve by chemical messengers called “neurotransmitters.” For example, some of the signals that neurotransmitters send cause a feeling of satisfaction or pleasure.
These natural rewards are the body's way of making sure we look for more of what makes us feel good. The main neurotransmitter of the "feel-good" message is called dopamine. Some drugs, like heroin and LSD, mimic the effects of the natural neurotransmitter. Others, like PCP, block receptors and thereby prevent neuronal messages from getting through. Still others, like cocaine, interfere with the molecules that transport neurotransmitters back into the neurons that released them. Finally, some drugs, such as Methamphetamine, act by causing neurotransmitters to be released in greater amounts than normal. In response to too high of dopamine levels, the brain system tries to right the balance by allowing fewer dopamine neurotransmitters to fire or signal through. The continued use of the drug leads to tolerance; to experience the same effects, the user must continue to use the drugs. When the user stops taking the psychoactive drug, he or she may experience the undesirable side effects of withdrawal. As the body responds to the drug’s absence, the user may feel physical pain and intense cravings, indicating physical
dependence. People can also develop psychological dependence, particularly for stress-relieving drugs, often relieving negative emotions. The restoration of the regular dopamine levels may take anywhere from hours, to days, or even months, depending on the drug, the length and amount of abuse, and the person. Teenagers have an over-active impulse to seek pleasure and less ability to consider the consequences, and are especially vulnerable when it comes to the temptations of drugs and alcohol. Due to the brain’s reward system still developing, a teen’s ability to bounce back to normal dopamine levels after abusing drugs or alcohol may be compromised due to how drugs affect their brain. Perceptual changes caused by drugs can also have long-term complications for adolescent development, since adolescent perceptive abilities have not fully matured.
For example, MRI studies show that adults tend to use the frontal lobes, or logical problem solving, to determine facial expressions while adolescents use the amygdala, an area which normally processes emotions such as fear and worry. It holds true in many studies that where adults use problem solving areas of the brain to perceive the world adolescents use the more primitive areas of the brain more associated with emotions, and self-preservation; it also holds true that adult perception generally has greater accuracy. Marijuana, not unlike all drugs, changes perception. And like most drugs, it engenders perception that is fearful, emotional, defensive, and often inaccurate. Though the short term addiction potential of marijuana may be less than other drugs, the long-term impact of chronic marijuana use can have profound effects. For an adult in society to function, one must determine the feelings and motives of other people. In the case of chronic marijuana use, it can hinder perceptual maturation, and an adolescent user may encounter misunderstood failures in school, work, and relationships, which in turn re-enforces the desire to retreat to
drugs. While alcohol and cigarette use are at historic low in the teen population, marijuana use has increased from twenty one percent in 2000 to twenty five percent in 2011. This incased can be linked to the overall idea that marijuana is a “safe drug”. It is likely that their well being, education and family ties have lost strength or completely severed due to the drug use. In an economic perspective, the United States needs an educated public to function and when our next generation are losing brain cells and dropping out of college and high school because of illicit drug use, our production decreases. Not only will we have a lower GDP, we may have poor leaders, corruption, and an increase in the black market trade, furthering the economic depression. The vicious never ending cycle of drug use can be stopped by taking a proactive approach and preventing it from happening altogether. Early detection and treatment is essential to diminishing the development of substance addiction in adolescents. We cannot expect teenagers to understand the full range or consequences in their choices regard drugs and alcohol given their brain development. The disease must be prevented, and where it cannot be prevented it must be cured while there is still time for a full recovery.