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Key points
- Most people who have a diagnosable substance use disorder in their lifetime do so in their adolescent years.
- Starting at age 13, every year that the initiation of substance use is delayed reduces the risk of addiction.
- Even young people at heightened risk for substance-related problems can prevail and never develop addiction.
Research shows that those who get through their adolescent years without developing a substance use disorder are unlikely to become addicted to alcohol or drugs later in life. Teens who start using substances before the age of 14 are at the greatest risk of addiction, which is not surprising given that early substance use interferes with brain development. Studies show that delaying the start of substance use among young people, even by a year, can decrease substance use over the course of their life. In fact, for every year that initiating substance use is delayed between the ages of 13 and 21, the likelihood of developing a lifelong addiction decreases by 4% to 5%.
What places teens at risk for using substances?
- Exposure to early life stress or trauma.
- Parental and sibling substance use and/or addiction.
- Infrequent parental monitoring or supervision.
- Minimal involvement in school.
- Living in neighborhoods and/or going to schools where drinking or drug use is common.
What are some of the protective factors or “buffers” that make teen substance use less likely?
- Parents’ frequent, supportive monitoring of their children (e.g., knowing their whereabouts, friends, and activities).
- Developing good, healthy coping skills, including “drug refusal skills."
- Strong bonding to school.
- Clearly defined family rules for behavior.
- Appropriate parental rewards for good behavior.
If you know or love a pre-teen or a teen, try to find ways to magnify the potential “buffers” listed above. Here are three examples of how you can achieve this:
- Strong bonding to school: finding and/or encouraging activities tied to school that your teen is passionate about (e.g., sports or other extracurricular activities) can help them increase involvement in healthy behaviors and feel connected to school
- Develop healthy coping skills: Practices that promote emotional regulation, such as yoga, meditation, exercise, and relying on social support, can help counteract the effects of early life stress as well as ongoing stress in pre-teens and adolescents. The book Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day: Exercises to Feel Calm, Stay Focused & Be Your Best Self has some great exercises, and there are plenty of other resources.
- Monitoring: Parents worry about being annoying or overbearing as their teen strives for independence. This guide from the National Institutes of Health has some helpful tips for striking a balance between supervising and monitoring your teen appropriately and letting them be their own person. Healthy communication, clear expectations, and positive rewards for desirable behaviors are fundamental to the process.
My podcast and upcoming book, Addiction: What Everyone Needs to Know, cover this important topic in greater depth.
