The Teenage Brain

During our teen years, the front part of our brain called the prefrontal cortex, which we use to help make decisions, is still continuing to develop.

The teenage or adolescent brain is a work in progress--in a good way.

• Your brain is doing a lot of growing and learning during your teenage years and even into adulthood--it doesn’t stop developing until about age 25.
• Structures in your brain are developing and adapting to all the things going on in your life.
• It’s great time to learn new skills and hobbies because those things can become more cemented in your brain for the rest of your life.
• However, risky behaviors, like using drugs, can also more strongly impact your brain during these years.

The Science of Addiction

Wants vs Needs

Knowing the difference between a want and a need is critical for many areas of life, from diet and nutrition to financial management to relationships.

Learning to define and identify the difference between wants and needs can be a challenge:

• Addiction causes the balance between wants and needs to become unbalanced �
• Recovery is essentially about reinstating and maintaining balance in life

Identifying

Habit vs Addiction

• Is your behavior having a negative impact—directly or indirectly—on your life?
• Do you repeatedly put yourself in risky situations?
• When you stop, do you experience withdrawal symptoms like anxiety or stress?
• Have you taken steps to hide your behavior? Or have you repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, tried to stop on your own?

Maintaining Balanced Wellness

• Taking Care of Our Body
• eating healthy
• moving constantly
• sleeping sufficiently
• Taking Care of Our Mind
• ​challenging our minds
• stilling our minds - mindfulness
• ​Nurturing Our Spirit
• ​maintaining healthy relationships

Don’t forget to check out the Wellness/Academic Success Page for additional resources and information!

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