Smoking and Drinking in Early Age May Accelerate Teen Addiction
According to Center on Addiction, the earlier an individual starts smoking, drinking, the greater the likelihood of developing addiction.
Addiction may very well begin casually in teens who are thinking about having fun, rather than being focused or even aware of taking addictive substances. Here are a few notes that support this theory:
- 9 out of 10 people who abuse or are addicted to nicotine, alcohol or other drugs began using these substances before they were 18.
- People who began using addictive substances before age 15 are nearly 7 times likelier to develop a substance problem than those who delay first use until age 21 or older.
- Every year that substance use is delayed during the period of adolescent brain development, the risk of addiction and substance abuse decreases.
In other words, the longer teens avoid addictive substances during their developmental periods, the less likely they are to abuse drugs in their future.
