Substance abuse begins with addiction, a certain chronic disease with no cure. There is treatment for addiction but ultimately the symptoms of addiction never go away. “Addiction is a disease that takes place in the brain. It occurs when the reward, motivation and memory circuitries are rewired, leading to insatiable cravings for a particular action or item. When someone suffers from addiction, their thought process revolves around the singular pursuit of that item — whether it’s alcohol, drugs, gambling or so on” (Teen Rehab Center - Addiction, p. 1, 2016). Adolescents turn to drugs when they desire new experiences, feel peer pressured, or even because they are stressed out about doing well in school. A recent study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that, “by the time they are seniors, almost 70 percent of high school students will have tried alcohol, half will have taken an illegal drug, nearly 40 percent will have smoked a cigarette, and more than 20 percent will have used a prescription drug for a nonmedical purpose” (Monitoring the Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings, 2013). Dr. John Knight, the founder and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research in Boston, says that “addiction is a pediatric disease.” Many parts of a teenager’s brain, such as the decision-making and situational awareness centers, do not develop and function as fast as the pleasure center of the brain, which makes adolescents much more susceptible to the influences of addiction. Dr. Knight continues by stating that, “When people start using at younger ages, the changes in brain structure and function are very, very pronounced. If we could only get kids to postpone their first drink or their first use of drugs, we could greatly diminish the prevalence of addiction in the U.S.” (Teen Rehab Center - Addiction, 2016). Researchers at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University say that nearly half of American high school students smoke, drink, or do other drugs (HealthDay, 2011). The most influential aspects associated with teenage addiction are their school environments. “CBS News reports that a recent survey indicates approximately two million teens between the ages of 12 and 17 currently need treatment for a substance abuse problem, but only about 150,000 get the help they need”(Project Know- Teen Drug Addiction, p.1). Peers at school who abuse drugs, especially friends, increase the number of teenagers trying drugs for the first time. Kids with poor social skills might try drugs just to fit in and make friends, and studies show that 65% of kids take drugs to improve their feelings of self-worth within social settings (Teen Rehab Center - Addiction Cause, 2016). Even casual drug abuse can have damaging long-term affects on teenagers, because this “social drinking” desensitizes them into thinking that their actions are not harmful. Kids who don’t do as well as they could in school turn to drugs as a way of forgetting their academic failures (Teen Rehab Center - Drug Facts: Brain and Addiction, 2016). Other influences that increase the risk of addiction in adolescents are right at home with their families. Any family member such as parents or older siblings who abuse or have abused drugs, increase the adolescents chance of taking drugs and developing addictions (Teen Rehab Center - Drug Facts: Brain and Addiction, 2016). Unfortunately, genetic predispositions are also influential aspects of addiction. When there is a history of addiction in the family the likelihood of an adolescent becoming addicted is extremely high. According to the American Psychological Association, “at least half of a person’s susceptibility to drug addiction can be linked to genetic factors” (Teen Rehab Center - Addiction Causes, 2016). Having parents or siblings with criminal backgrounds can increase their chances of taking drugs, living in dangerous neighborhoods and homes increases the chances of taking drugs, and even kids who live in wealthy homes with little to no parental supervision can easily succumb to taking illegal drugs. Just being male makes boys predisposed to have more opportunities to use drugs, abuse them, and develop a dependence. The part of the body that illicit substances attack is the brain first and foremost. Brain development in adolescents who abuse substances are predisposed to have many negative side effects like lower IQ, memory loss or impairment, slowed thinking and reaction time, trouble performing easy tasks, and many other brain abnormalities. Other than these brain abnormalities, adolescents who abuse drugs have no impulse control, skewed ability to experience rewards, negative judgement, and their ability to learn and retain information is abysmal (Teen Rehab Center - How Drugs Affect Teenage Brains). The brain is very negatively affected by drugs and alcohol because these substances shoot straight to the brain and alter how it functions. “During adolescence, the prefrontal cortex is still maturing. It’s the area of the brain that allows for situational awareness and decision-making. While the brain’s development during this period already means that teens are prone to making poor decisions, drugs and alcohol only do more damage” (Teen Rehab Center - Teen Addiction, p.6). Drugs and alcohol are detrimental to brain development, and body development is also increasingly being put in danger. Although illicit substances rain havoc on the brain, they are also damaging to the body. Drug and alcohol abuse can have extremely destructive effects on the body. Physical health risks include a weakened immune system, weight loss or weight gain, damage to vital organs, heart problems, dehydration, coma, seizures, cancer, and even STDs. Many of these issues won’t immediately show up in the body, but they will have a lasting impact on adolescents and will show up later on in life. Prolonged substance abuse in adolescents goes far beyond brain and body development. The lives of kids who abuse illegal substances are extremely negatively impacted. “Drugs and alcohol serve as catalysts for destructive behavior, which can snowball into serious issues with major legal ramifications if the underlying issues never get resolved”(Teen Rehab Center, p.6). Consequences of substance abuse include car accidents, assaults, sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, wasted academic opportunities, late starts in chosen career paths, social isolation and repeated social difficulty, and criminal records that cannot be expunged. “A 2010 report showed that 65% of all U.S. prison inmates meet the criteria for substance abuse or addiction and 90% began in high school”(Teen Rehab Center - Teen Addiction: Drug Use Facts, Risks & Treatment, p. 6).