Conversations That Count with Jane Bartlett Nenstiel

Alcohol and other drugs compromise the perfect growth of the brain. Hippocampus is crucial for forming new memories and youth who drink show reduced brain response, low on vocabulary, general information memory, and memory retrieval. Delaying use can prevent addiction. At the age 13-21 the risk of addiction is anywhere from 47% (ages 13-17 have a higher chance of getting addicted) through 9% (ages 18-21 have a slightly lower chance of getting addicted). Alcohol and other drugs impair quality of sleep. Information learned in class is transformed from short-term to long-term memory during sleep, this diminishes your ability to learn and remember important information. Poor concentration, headaches, slurred speech, and problems at school (failing classes) are all signs of underage drinking. Drinking and driving is a major contributor to teen deaths in the U.S. Mixing alcohol and other substances as medications or energy drinks is extremely dangerous. Another dangerous substance is marijuana. Marijuana interferes with attention, motivation, memory and learning. When used during teen years, it can lower grades and your IQ. There are increasing reports of THC over-intoxication which can result in unease, shaking, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations. and in rare cases, extreme psychotic reactions. Marijuana increases the risk for accidents and injuries. Edibles have a high potential for overdose which can be fatal. The potency of edibles can easily consume dangerous amounts of THC. Marijuana is addictive and can be difficult to quit. Those who begin using marijuana before the age of 18 are 4-7 times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder. Marijuana use can increase the risk of developing mental health problems and has been linked to depression and anxiety, as well as suicidal thoughts among youth.