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It’s Harder If You Start Young

Young and Loaded

A NIDA-funded study has demonstrated that the relapse rate for heroin addicts increases with time and that the probability of long-term abstinence depends on the age of first drug use. Those who start daily heroin use at a younger age are more likely to relapse than those who start later. Heroin is not the only type of  drug that has ill effects if consumed at a young age.

Long-term studies of high school students and their patterns of drug use show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. For example, the risk of using cocaine is much greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it. Using marijuana puts children and teens in contact with people who are users and sellers of other drugs. So there is more of a risk that a marijuana user will be exposed to and urged to try more drugs.  To better determine this risk, scientists are examining the possibility that long-term marijuana use may create changes in the brain that make a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs, such as alcohol or cocaine.  Therefore, if during the crucial developmental stages there are chemicals added to the brain chemistry evoking feelings of happiness, belonging, and/or excitement; the brain will be more likely to consistently resort to those methods (drugs) in order to experience those emotions due to the lack of practice in experiencing those feelings organically.