Adolescence and substance abuse
Drugs and alcohol abuse · Biology
Study notes
The adolescent brain's reward centre matures before its judgment centre (prefrontal cortex) — that's the biology behind 'everyone's doing it' working so well on teens. Studies show teens who refuse the first offer usually never start; those who try 'just once' at 15 are far likelier to be addicted by 20. Schools with peer-counsellor programs report measurably lower substance initiation.