It’s not really possible to label teens today with just a few adjectives. Each teen has his own personality that makes him unique from the others. At one point, we may encounter a kid who’s too shy and on the other hand, we could see someone who oozes with confidence and is totally uncontrollable.
Recent studies, though, are suggesting that kids who are bolder, adventurous and risk-takers are more susceptible to substance abuse. This condition may be explained by the findings that prove both risk-taking activities and drug abuse greatly affect a teen’s system of rewards in the brain.
This means that kids who are often on the extreme side of things could be craving for anything that could trigger neural activities which make them feel good about themselves and their whole being. This is where substance abuse may come in as this habit also offers the same feeling of euphoria even for just a short time.
The study does not generalize risk-taking teens as substance abusers or addicts. While preliminary studies may show the relationship between extreme physical and mental activities and drug or alcohol susceptibility, the findings are not yet solid enough to be considered as conclusive. This is why more researches are being done to be able to uncover more possible contributing factors of teen substance abuse.
It is advised that parents do their roles in keeping their kids safe and healthy at all times no matter what kind of personality their children may have. For those with kids who have the potential to become high-risk takers, they could find other channels for their kids to put on the extra energy. Parents can even be with their children in doing extreme activities to be able to guide kids properly. Teaching kids about proper rewards system may also help in the right development of a child’s mentality.
Tags: teen adventures and substance abuse, teen risk takers, teen substance abuse
