The Teen Brain: How Addiction is More Common Than You Think

Many teens truly don’t understand the implications of addiction. It is common for them to

think nicotine is only dangerous because it's a gateway to cigarettes or lung problems. However, the issues aren’t confined to just that. Nicotine affects brain development and causes addiction to happen faster than expected. They use phrases such as “it’s just nicotine” or “it’s not that bad since it’s not a cigarette”, especially with the seemingly harmless fruit-flavored marketing scheme luring the teenage demographic to try.

The Effects of Nicotine on Brain Development

During adolescence, the brain is rapidly developing in areas like the amygdala and the

prefrontal cortex, which are responsible for emotion processing and decision-making skills. This makes the developing teenage brain more sensitive to addictive substances. Continuing into the mid-20s, the brain's processes of forming and generating itself help it push through for the rest of adulthood.

A person who consistently abuses nicotine can develop impulse control issues, difficulty

in making decisions, attention deficit problems, as well as learning and mood disorders. It is seen as “cool” and “trendy” to vape and take nicotine packs, but the long-term effects outweigh the momentary peer validation. Nicotine activates the brain's reward system. The buzz experienced when taking a puff from a vape leads the brain to constantly crave it to fill that sensation. The brain releases dopamine, which helps the person feel relaxed and experience pleasure. Without a constant fix, it isn’t feasible for the person to continue on this temporary high.

The Efficiency of Dependency

Dependence doesn’t develop overnight. It starts out with vaping at parties only, from

there only using it with that one friend, then only when feelings of irritation and anxiety occur eventually turning into a routine with all these justifications. Addiction isn’t always obvious at first, but becomes rapidly deadly.

People underestimate nicotine as they tend to say “I can quit whenever I want” which is

further from the case especially since the person doesn’t detect the severity of the problem. When the dependency is realized, whether by themselves or by a loved one, quitting can already be harder than they expected. Symptoms such as cravings, irritability, trouble focusing, and stress can make quitting difficult.

Why does this matter to students? Think about the daily life of an active student; it

requires focusing in class, studying for exams, sports, extracurriculars; the list goes on. None of which can be effectively accomplished if someone can’t sleep, has thoughts clouded by brain fog, or resorts to imploding at any minor inconvenience, creating a whole chain of causes and effects. The real danger of nicotine is not only what it does today, but how quickly it can train the brain to want more tomorrow. Understanding risk is the first step in making better choices and minimizing short- and long-term effects as much as possible.

References

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4560573/