Addiction shouldn’t be called “addiction”. It should be called “ritualized compulsive comfort-seeking”.

Brain health: Marijuana can cause permanent IQ loss of as much as 8 points when people start using it at a young age. These IQ points do not come back, even after quitting marijuana. Mental health: Studies link marijuana use to depression, anxiety, suicide planning, and psychotic episodes. It is not...

In 2005, an estimated 22 million Americans struggled with a drug or alcohol problem. Almost 95 percent of people with substance use problems are considered unaware of their problem

Adolescent Substance Abuse: A Public Health Priority An evidence-based, comprehensive, and integrative approach

Las señales principales del uso de alcohol y del abuso de drogas por los adolescentes pueden incluir: Físicas: fatiga, problemas al dormir, quejas continuas acerca de su salud, ojos enrojecidos y sin brillo y una tos persistente. Emocionales: cambios en la personalidad, cambios rápidos de humor...

Perceived risk of marijuana remains tightly associated with use, and adolescent marijuana prevalence today would be at or near record highs if cigarette use had not declined since 2005, according to study projections.

Substance use is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality; it is in large part why, among 17 high-income nations, people in the U.S. have the highest probability of dying by age 50. 1,2 Substance use is also an important contributor to many social ills including child and spousal abuse...

The self-reported use of illicit drugs other than marijuana in the past year among twelfth graders declined from 34 percent in 1981 to 15 percent in 1992. It then increased during the 1990s, peaking at 22 percent in 2001, before decreasing slowly to 2009 and remaining relatively steady at around 17...

JUUL, a popular vape device that comes in fun flavors, looks like a flash drive and can be charged in a USB port, is especially concerning. JUUL delivers high levels of nicotine, making the product extremely addictive.

Research studies show that in addition to helping youth who experienced toxic stress to manage responses to their histories of adversity, these experiences help to build all youths’ resilience so that they are on a developmental trajectory toward healthy, positive outcomes.

This is a great overview of how trauma affects the developing brain.

The Youth Thrive framework is a strengths-based initiative to examine how all youth can be supported in ways that advance healthy development and wellbeing and reduce the likelihood or impact of negative life experiences.

Source: Tanner-Smith, E. E., Finch, A. J., Hennessy, E. A., & Moberg, D. P. (2018). Who attends recovery high schools after substance use treatment? A descriptive analysis of school aged youth. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 89, 20-27. Abstract Recovery high schools (RHSs) are an alternative...

Source: Brody, G. H., Yu, T., Miller, G. E., Ehrlich, K. B., & Chen, E. (2019). Preventive parenting intervention during childhood and young black adults’ unhealthful behaviors: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(1), 63-71. Abstract Objective Lifestyle...