By STEPHEN BOGAN

For The Beachcomber

There are a number of reasons why teens use drugs and alcohol, and some recent findings taken right from the voices of adolescents show some revealing information.

The most commonly cited reason, according to a leading study released earlier this year, is school stress. Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of teens in grades 7 to 12 believe that “kids use drugs to deal with the pressures and stress of school,” according to data from the 20th annual Partnership Attitude Tracking Study. The second most frequently cited reason (65 percent) for drug use was “to help them feel better about themselves,” tied with “using drugs to look cool.”

This survey data combined with brain chemistry research can provide parents and teens with factual, non-judgmental information to enable them to make better decisions.

Developmentally, teens are drawn to excitement, risk and exploration; such behavior is a natural kind of experiential learning influenced by their brain development. At the same time, current brain research tells us that adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and other drugs on their development, especially in the areas of the brain that involve thinking and feeling. It is hard to comprehend how anything could be more critical to attaining maturity than how a person thinks and feels. The areas of the brain that are affected most by the early use of substances are the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. The prefrontal cortex is the thinking, decision-making center of the brain, and the limbic system involves feelings, mood, impulse control and excitement about the world.

Using this factual information can help parents provide structure and guidance to middle- and high-school age youth.

Parents can have reasonable expectations that they don’t want their child to

experiment and abuse alcohol and other drugs. They can be strong in their stance that any use of substances is risky.

Can you have these beliefs and expectations even if your teen tells you that “everyone is going to try using substances”? The answer is yes, and it is proven through prevention research that the most critical tool parents have in reducing substance use in early teens is the strength of their convictions.

So even though it may seem like a losing battle, if you say what you expect from your son or daughter, he or she will know where you stand. If you don’t say anything, your teen will make assumptions about what you want.

In this case, knowledge is power, and we can support a parent’s expectations in spite of those who might argue that drinking and drugging are rites of passage or that kids “need to figure things out for themselves.”

We also need to understand that even though some teens may experiment and stop without further abuse or addiction, as many as 20 percent of those who started out by experimenting will become harmfully involved, and none of them believed they would become addicts and alcoholics. It is true that no one in their “right mind” would wish that for themselves. The key is how the “right mind” is affected by substance abuse, making “right” and good decisions no longer possible.

Early alcohol and drug use cause high levels of brain activity in the area of excitement and mood change; it can affect whether one feels comfortable in his or her own skin. This exposure and experience can make it hard to turn away from these generally positive feelings, especially when the decision-making part of the brain is being canceled out.

We need to understand how powerful these chemicals are in relationship to the tools that we may have to offer instead. The profound effects on thinking and feeling can overwhelm and overrule all the positive experiences we can offer adolescents. So if a survey says teens use drugs primarily to cope with stress and to look good, how can we provide help with these critical issues? What can parents, teens, educators and community members offer in place of using drugs and alcohol as coping tools and a means to feel better about themselves?

The answers are, of course, complex. But they begin with becoming more knowledgeable about the effects of substances on adolescent development. Only then can we begin to explore some of the healthy alternatives we can offer to help youth deal with stress and negative self-image.

— Stephen Bogan is a chemical dependency and mental health counselor in private practice on Vashon Island.

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Forum for parents

The Vashon PTSA is hosting a parent information night on “Drugs, Alcohol, and Your Teen,” in which Stephen Bogan will present information about the developmental effects of drugs and alcohol on the teenage brain, peer pressure, what parents can do, warning signs and resources available for help. There will be a questions and answer time.

The talk will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Vashon High School Library.