Addiction Starts Early in American Society, Report Finds.

According to HealthDay News (2011), a study reveals that one-quarter of Americans who began using any addictive substance before age 18 are addicted, compared with one in 25 Americans who started using an addictive substance when they were 21 or older. And nearly half of American high school students now smoke, drink or use other drugs, according to the researchers at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University (HealthDay News).

Adolescence is the most critical period of life brain development; increasing the likelihood of risk taking and using addictive substances. Those that begin using while in their teenage years often experience negative consequences later in life.

Susan Foster, Vice President at CASA, stated, “addiction is a disease that in most cases begin in adolescence, so preventing or delaying teens from using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs for as long as possible is crucial to their health and safety.”

Excerpt from HealthDay News, Addiction Starts Early in American Society, Report Finds.

“The investigators found that 75 percent (10 million) of all U.S. high school students have used addictive substances such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana or cocaine and that 20 percent of these students meet the medical criteria for addiction. Currently, 46 percent (6.1 million) of all U.S. high school students use addictive substances, and one-third of them meet the medical criteria for addiction.

Nearly three-quarters (72.5 percent) of U.S. high school students have consumed alcohol, 46.3 percent have smoked cigarettes, almost 37 percent have used marijuana, about 15 percent have misused prescription drugs, and over 65 percent have used more than one addictive substance, the study authors stated.”

There are some reasons teen abuse substances; acceptance of use by parents or peers, advertisements glamorizing alcohol, tobacco or substance use in the media, to mask a depression or mental illness, or trauma-related emotional injury.

Aside from smoking, teen substance us the greatest preventable and most expensive public health problem in the U.S.; with costs averaging about $68 billion for underage drinking and approximately $14 billion in substance-related juvenile justice expenses.

"The combination of adolescence, an American culture that glorifies and promotes substance use, and easy access to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs creates a perfect storm for our teens and taxpayers," "We no longer can justify writing off adolescent substance use as bad behavior, as a rite of passage or as kids just being kids. The science is too clear, the facts are too compelling, the health and social consequences are too devastating, and the costs are simply too high" Jim Ramstad, CASA board member (HealthDay News, 2011).

The study offered some recommendations including (HealthDay News, 2011):

• Educating the public that teen substance use is a public health problem and that addiction is a medical problem that in most cases begin in adolescence.

• Using effective public health strategies to prevent or delay the start of substance use.

• Routine screenings to identify teens most at risk.

• Early intervention to prevent further substance use and consequences.

• Giving teens with substance use disorders appropriate medical treatment.

Resources:

The study findings were based on online surveys of 1,000 high school students, 1,000 parents of high school students and 500 school personnel; analyses of seven national data sets; interviews with 50 leading experts; five focus groups with students, parents and school personnel; and a review of 2,000 scientific articles and reports.

Addiction Starts Early in American Society, Report Finds. HealthDay News & U.S News World Wide Report. June 29, 2011. Retrieved from: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/childrens-health/articles/2011/06/29/addiction-starts-early-in-american-society-report-finds