THE DALLES — Parents of angsty teens, are you thinking back wistfully on the easygoing kids they once were? Well, there’s brain science behind this teen transformation.
Kids ages about 6-11 are in a milder “latency period” and the teen years are when the brain undergoes a burst of rapid development, two experts told an audience in October at a free talk in The Dalles.
The speakers, with the Partnership to End Addiction, were hosted by YouthThink, Wasco County’s coalition to prevent youth alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.
The presentation is the first of a 12-month series of talks and webinars called “The More You Know Thursdays.” It will feature expert speakers, tools to support youth, and opportunities to connect. For more information, visit www.youththink.net.
Cori Hammond, director of prevention services at the Partnership to End Addiction
This teen era is described as “all gas, no brakes,” with increased risk taking as youth explore new things, but without fully-developed decision-making capabilities to help with risk assessment, said Cori Hammond, director of prevention services at the Partnership to End Addiction.
That full brain development doesn’t hit until around age 25.
The popular belief is that raging hormones are what’s behind the tumultuous teen years, but also heavy in the mix is the rapid brain development occurring in those years, said Hammond. Emotions are just stronger in this period of life — the highest of highs and lowest of lows, she said.
“You fondly remember the music of your teen years” because of your stronger emotionality in those years, she said.
Teens are trying to harness powerful emotions, and there are healthy methods of risk-taking and expressing emotions, Hammond said, such as sports, theater, music, dancing, drawing, and community engagement.
“Let them be nervous and excited in a healthy way,” she said of getting the risk-taking experience.
Also commonly in the mix, unfortunately, are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These are traumatic childhood events like abuse, a jailed parent, familial mental illness and domestic violence, Hammond said.
ACEs can lead to chronic stress, which can lead to impulsiveness, anxiety, increased risk taking and problems with learning, memory and problem solving, Hammond said.
Protective factors for kids include: a stable, nurturing, supportive home; trusted positive adult mentors; stimulating extracurriculars; and a strong attachment to family, school or community.
Linda Richter, Ph.D., senior vice president of prevention research and analysis at the Partnership to End Addiction
Linda Richter, Ph.D., the senior vice president of prevention research and analysis at the Partnership to End Addiction, spoke of brain development and drug use.
She likened the teen brain to a building under construction. A strong rainstorm can damage an under-construction building much more than an already-completed building.
Preferably, youth won’t use substances at all. But, alternatively, delaying substance use as long as possible is key, she said. Teens are twice as likely to develop an addiction as adults, they feel more effects than adults from the same amount of drugs, and are much quicker to develop addiction. A teen can get addicted to smoking in just one to two weeks, she said.
If someone starts using drugs before 18, their chance of developing addiction is one in four. If they wait just a few years, it drops to one in 25, Richter said.
Her organization does not use a punitive “anti-drug” approach, because it’s not effective. Rather, it uses a “pro-brain” approach when talking to youth about the risks of drug use.
Richter described the brain process behind addiction. When we feel pleasure, that’s our brain releasing dopamine. It happens when we get a “like” on social media, when we gamble, or do other pleasurable things, she said.
Dopamine helps form habits, because it tells our brain, “Hey, this was good, do it again,” Richter said. That applies to things that keep us alive, like, eating, drinking and having sex. Dopamine is also released — but much more strongly — by using substances.
The brain wants balance, so when a substance causes too much pleasure, the brain will purposely decrease that substance’s pleasure-causing effect. This means you have to take more of that substance to get the same pleasure. So substance use steadily ratchets up, but the brain is steadily decreasing the effect of that use.
That’s what causes drug tolerances, and forces people to use more of a substance to get the same effect, and then ultimately, just to not feel sick, Richter said.
With today’s high potency pot and nicotine, “the negative consequences of using those substances are really intense for young people. The effects on the brain are quite dramatic.”
Richter said people vary so much that some teens can use drugs without negatively impacting their lives, but others will get addicted.
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