Starting Young

[LW75]

One reason addiction takes hold is adolescents and teens starting to experiment young and either becoming too dependent on whatever it is they start with or else trying the next thing and the next thing until they end up addicted.

To further complicate things, a teenager's brain is not finished maturing until past twenty years old. On top of that, once kids get "all involved" with drugs they don't mature emotionally the way they otherwise would have.

Young people who start experimenting and using drugs regularly are at a real disadvantage when it comes to the risk of becoming addicted.

[jr_sci]

Teens also carries the maximum risk of heart diseases. So, starting young would be a very easy way to Heaven. The parents must take serious steps regarding this.

[attagirl]

I do have to agree here on this one. I think that is why most addicted adults cannot bring themselves self to say enough is enough. They have not mentally grown enough to know what the difference is and how to handle those changes.

[laurah]

I agree that you are more likely to develp an addiction if you start young, but I don't think it will make you any less emotionally developed. I started smoking weed when I was 12, although this was not a regular occurance until I was 15, by which time I also occasionally took speed. It was not until I was 17 that I branched out into pills and cocaine came with later life, and higher wages. While I'm sure I have a number of issues, I don't think my emotional development is one.

[attagirl]

Emotions play a large part in how we handle things in life. If you start doing drugs at an early age for whatever reason it usually does have an impact on how you can handle things in life. Take for example the person who starts casually then as getting older they turn to other drugs, the emotional state of mind could be the cause of this, even though the person knows that they should not be doing drugs.