Why are adolescents particularly vulnerable?
• Drug use can lead to a wide range of adverse effects on the brain, the body, behavior and health. Short term: A single dose of an intoxicating drug can result in an accident, violence, poor performance in a school or sports activity, unplanned risky behavior, and the risk of overdosing. It can also trigger the desire to use drugs again and again. Long term: Repeated drug use and abuse can lead to serious problems, such as loss of desire to to fulfill obligations at school, on sports teams, repeated school absences, disorderly conduct, and social or family problems caused by, or worsened by drugs. Repeated drug use can also lead to the disease of addiction. Studies show that the earlier an adolescent begins using drugs, the more likely he or she will be to develop a substance abuse problem or the disease of addiction. Conversely, if an adolescent does not start using drugs in their teen years, he or she is less likely to initiate or develop a substance abuse problem later in life. Res
