Underage or college age drinking | drug use – when should you be worried?

I often get questions about this from parents, school counselors, teachers, therapists, and even the young person’s friends, who are trying to determine whether there “really is a problem” or “it’s just a phase.” This is such a common concern that I’ve created a brochure to help spread the following message, and thought I’d share my brochure content in this post.

Worried About a Young Person’s Alcohol or Drug Use?

What appear to be holes in the surface SPECT scans of brains shown below are not lost brain matter but rather areas of low blood flow and low brain metabolism. These low functioning areas of the brain can be repaired when alcohol or other drug (AOD) misuse is stopped and other brain health recovery measures are taken.

When Should You Be Worried?

…when a young person’s (or adult’s) behaviors change as a result of their alcohol or other drug (AOD) use. Behavioral changes include:

• driving while impaired
• verbal, physical or emotional abuse
• lying, sneaking, hiding the AOD
• blaming
• denial
• changes in friends, interests or activities
• problems at work or school
• sexual assault or having unplanned, unwanted sex.

These behavioral changes occur with a variety of substance use patterns, including binge drinking, heavy social drinking, alcoholism, taking pain medications not as prescribed, or using illicit drugs. They occur because the amount of the AOD consumed exceeds the body’s ability to metabolize the chemicals that particular substance contains. While “waiting” to be metabolized, the chemicals in AODs circulate throughout the bloodstream to body organs. One such organ is the brain.

It’s important to talk early and often if you are worried about a young person’s alcohol or drug use.

Why is this so destructive?

Because the brain controls EVERYTHING a person thinks, feels, says, and does. In fact, without the brain, the heart does not pump, the lungs do not breathe, and the arms do not move. Without the brain, a person cannot feel love or pain, run or drive a car, feel stress, or enjoy socializing with friends.

Why Focus on the Brain?

21^st century brain research tells us what can happen to a young person’s brain when they overload their system’s ability to metabolize the chemicals in alcohol and other drugs.

As previously stated, the brain controls everything a person thinks, feels, says, and does. This occurs via an electro-chemical signaling process. When a young person (or an adult) uses more of a substance than their body can metabolize, the chemical in the AOD, such as ethyl alcohol in alcoholic beverages, THC in marijuana, and opioids in some prescription pain medications, interrupts the chemical portion of the brain’s signaling process.

Interrupting this signaling process is what changes a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When this interruption is ongoing, the brain structurally changes as shown in the surface SPECT scans from Amen Clinics above.

The Young Brain and Substance Misuse

AOD chemicals work differently and similarly in the young person’s brain as compared to the adult brain.
The similarities were just described. The differences are primarily due to brain development occurring in utero through age 11 (approximately), followed by three key brain developmental processes that occur from around age 12 to 22 for girls/women and 12 to 24 for boys/men. These latter brain developmental processes include:

• Puberty (starting around age 12) – a time when brain wiring changes occur to drive the human species to take risks, turn to peers, and reproduce;
• Cerebral cortex, especially prefrontal cortex, development (starting around age 16) – this puts the brakes on the risk taking behaviors and is the basis for the more discerning, reasoning judgment capabilities we see in adults vs. teens;
• Pruning and strengthening (occurring throughout these brain developmental processes, ages 12 to 22/24) – meaning the neural networks being used frequently get strengthened and those that are not, get “pruned.” Strengthened neural networks then “map” as many of a young person’s habits, coping skills, and behaviors (if not changed, re-wired).

Addiction generally has its start in adolescence.
AOD misuse while the young brain is developing can change the structure and functioning of the adolescent brain and make it more susceptible to the five key risk factors for developing the brain disease of addiction. In time, the brain “maps” the abused chemical as necessary for survival and the substance use as the automatic response for any number of triggers, such as anxiety, fear, depression, “it’s Friday night,” or gatherings with certain friends. Early use is one of the five risk factors for developing addiction. The other four include childhood trauma, mental disorders, genetics, and social environment.

AOD misuse behaviors cause Secondhand Drinking | Secondhand Drugging (SHD) for others.
SHD refers to the negative impacts of coping with a person’s behavioral changes previously described (verbal, physical, emotional abuse…). Coping with SHD causes friends, fellow students, family members, and others to experience physical, emotional, and quality of life changes. These are primarily related to toxic stress and can include sleep disorders, migraines, stomach ailments, anxiety, depression, and problems at school.

Sample of Lisa Frederiksen’s Consulting and Presentation Services

Family Consultations – a two-hour educational session in the family home to share the research behind the facts described. Helpful for parents, siblings, and the child whose AOD misuse is concerning.

Individual Education and Support Consulting – consultation calls with Lisa to better understand the differences between alcohol and other drug misuse and addiction, effective treatment, intervention options, and similar topics. Helpful for parents wanting guidance and understanding next steps and/or what to do after a child’s treatment program.

Policy and Educational Consulting and Training Videos and Materials for schools, parents, therapists, government agencies, treatment centers, counselors, and similar audiences.

To Order Brochures

….or to talk with me about the above or any other alcohol or drug misuse prevention, intervention, and treatment concepts, please call me at 650-362-3026 or email me at lisaf@BreakingTheCycles.com.

Additional Resources

• Partnership for Drug-Free Kids > The Teen Brain > Brain Development
• NIDA Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Lisa Frederiksen

Author | Speaker | Consultant | Founder at BreakingTheCycles.com

Lisa Frederiksen is the author of hundreds of articles and 12 books, including her latest, "10th Anniversary Edition If You Loved Me, You'd Stop! What you really need to know when your loved one drinks too much,” and "Loved One In Treatment? Now What!” She is a national keynote speaker with over 30 years speaking experience, consultant and founder of BreakingTheCycles.com. Lisa has spent the last 19+ years studying and simplifying breakthrough research on the brain, substance use and other mental health disorders, secondhand drinking, toxic stress, trauma/ACEs and related topics.

Latest posts by Lisa Frederiksen (see all)

• Does a Loved One Have to Hit Bottom? - November 20, 2022
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