Early Onset of Substance Use: Contributing Factors for the Rapid Progression to Addiction Adolescent drug use in our society is often times viewed as a harmless phase that teens will eventually outgrow. Many believe that teens need to use drugs for several years into adulthood before actually becoming addicted. However, research indicates that the earlier an adolescent begins using drugs & alcohol, the greater the chances of his/her use progressing rapidly into chemical dependency. Research conducted by Grant and Dawson showed that the age when a person started drinking was a strong predictor for future alcoholism as defined by DSM-IV. This research focused on the age at drinking onset of 42,862 subjects and isolated factors such as age, sex, race and family history of alcohol abuse and dependence. The results of this research indicated that when a thirteen-year-old starts drinking, s/he has a 43% chance of becoming an alcoholic. If however, the thirteen-year-old has a family history of alcoholism, the probability of him/her becoming an alcoholic increases to 58%. In contrast, if the person starts drinking at age 21 and has no family history of alcoholism, the probability of alcoholism is reduced to 10% (Grant, Bridget & Dawson, Deborah, "Age at Onset of Alcohol Use and Its Association With DSM-IV Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: Results from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, Journal of Substance Abuse, 1997.) As this study strongly suggests, rapid progression of chemical addiction in teens appears to be highly correlated with age of onset of first use and a family history of alcoholism.   Why does using at an early age contribute to a rapid progression to addiction? From birth to age 18, the brain is both growing and developing. During this process the brain is taking clues from the environment to determine how much serotonin, GABA and other neurotransmitters it should produce. If a person is using drugs during this period of time, the brain will not recognize marijuana or alcohol as drugs. It will see them as an over abundance of GABA or serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Because the brain thinks we live in a world were our necessary neurotransmitters comes from joints and beers, it stops producing its own supply. As a result, the brain has a chemical imbalance and craving for a drug occurs for the user trying to fulfill the missing brain chemistry. This is how people develop addiction vs. being predisposed genetically. Other Contributing Variables · Adolescents tend to use a combination of drugs. While adults with drug problems typically use only one drug, the drug use history for a teen drug user can consist of 10 -15 different drugs. A combination of drugs being abused effects a combination of neurotransmitters and fuels brain damage. As a result, the adolescent must use increasing amounts of these drugs in order to get the same desired effect which in turn, contributes to the rapid development of addiction. · Use of Stimulant Drugs: Stimulant drugs appear to be another cause of the rapid progression of chemical dependency in adolescents. This is due to the fact that these drugs tend to cause dopamine to be released in very large amounts. As a result of this "rush" in dopamine, tolerance develops quickly and the user starts to loose the ability to experience pleasure unless they are intoxicated. · School Environment: Easy access to drugs at school significantly contributes to the progression of drug use. Many schools have become a "drug supermarket" where adolescents can buy and sell drugs as well as join in the camaraderie of sharing their fun drug experiences and planning new times to get "high." I am not saying that the schools are the problem, but it is the meeting place for kids to congregate Monday through Friday. · For drug-using adolescents, intoxication is their social event. Although the social events of adults, such as weddings, New Year's Eve, and Super Bowl Sunday, may promote the use of chemicals, the chemical use is only part of the social situation. However, for drug-using adolescents, drug use is the social event. In other words, the main reason for socializing is to become intoxicated. Many adults (parents and professionals) tend to view adolescent drug use from an "adult" model of drug use. The "adult" model tells us that people need to use for many years and experience physical withdrawal symptoms to have addiction… This is not a valid view for adolescent drug users… My colleagues and I continue to see Detromethorphan (DXM) abuse in our area. As a result our drug lab is now testing for this. The cost is an additional $2.00 on top of the full screen panel. DXM will come back positive on drug panels that are testing for PCP. What is DXM? DXM (dextromethorphan) is an opioid agent used as a cough suppressant. DXM has been around since the 1960's and is found in more than 140 over-the-counter products. Abuse of DXM, especially by teenagers in the "rave" scene, is becoming more widespread throughout the United States. Because of this, interest in the drug is growing rapidly. Street Names Street names for dextromethorphan include "C-C-C", "Robo", "Skittles", "Red Devils", and "DXM", "robo-tripping", "tussin", "crazy eights" or "dex." DXM is found in many over the counter cough medicines, such as, Nyquil® and Coricidin® HBP Cough and Cold. Health Hazards Some of the effects of DXM include: mental status changes, lethargy, ataxia, slurred speech, confusion, hallucinations and seizures. Other potential health hazards are: dry mouth, loss of body fluid, dry itchy skin, blurred vision, cognitive alterations, delusions, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, numbness of fingers or toes, redness of face, headache, loss of consciousness and death. Extent of Use A recent survey of 376 4th - 12th graders in New Mexico revealed that non-prescription products containing dextromethorphan ranked significantly higher in selection to "get high." The reported abuse appeared to increase with student age.