Adolescence — A Bridge Between Childhood and Adulthood
Adolescence is both a period and a process — the stretch during which a child matures in attitudes and beliefs and grows ready to take part in society. Roughly the years between 12 and 18 are thought of as adolescence, and it is best pictured as a bridge linking childhood and adulthood.
This bridge is not always steady. Adolescence brings many biological and behavioural changes at once, and that makes it a genuinely vulnerable phase of mental and psychological development. It is precisely at this age that a young person is most likely to encounter — and be tempted by — drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
Why Youngsters Reach for Drugs or Alcohol
There is rarely a single reason. Very often the first step comes from curiosity, a need for adventure and excitement, or simple experimentation — a natural wish to try something new. The trouble begins when the effects start to feel like a benefit, and what began as experimentation becomes a way to escape from problems.
Several other pressures push in the same direction. Stress from the drive to excel in academics or examinations is a significant one. So is the perception that it is 'cool' or progressive to smoke, drink or use drugs — an idea that television, films, newspapers and the internet quietly encourage. Add an unstable or unsupportive family and everyday peer pressure, and the risk rises further. Understanding these causes is the first step to guiding a young person safely past them.
Addiction — A Psychological Attachment
Because the effects can feel rewarding, drugs and alcohol tend to be used again and again. What is easy to miss is their inherent addictive nature. Addiction is a psychological attachment to certain effects — euphoria and a temporary feeling of well-being — that come with drugs and alcohol. This attachment drives a person to keep taking them even when they are not needed, or even when the habit has clearly become self-destructive.
The body plays a part too. With repeated use, the tolerance of the body's receptors rises, so they now respond only to higher doses. That means more intake to feel the same effect, and greater intake feeds the addiction. It is worth remembering that even a single use can be a fore-runner to addiction — the addictive pull can draw a user into a vicious circle of regular abuse that is very hard to step out of without help.
Dependence and Withdrawal
Where addiction is largely psychological, dependence is the body's own response. It is the tendency of the body to show a characteristic and unpleasant withdrawal syndrome when a regular dose of drugs or alcohol is stopped abruptly. Typical signs are anxiety, shakiness, nausea and sweating — discomfort that eases the moment the substance is taken again, which is part of what keeps the cycle going.
Withdrawal is not always mild. In some cases the symptoms can be severe and even life-threatening, so a person may need proper medical supervision to come off safely. Dependence can also reshape behaviour in serious ways: to fund the habit, a dependent person may ignore all social norms and turn to stealing, causing distress to family and friends. This is why dependence is treated as a medical problem, not a moral failing.
Quick Recap
- Adolescence is both a period and a process, roughly 12–18 years — a bridge from childhood to adulthood, marked by biological and behavioural change, and therefore a vulnerable phase.
- Common reasons youngsters try drugs/alcohol: curiosity, need for adventure and excitement, experimentation; later, to escape problems; academic/exam stress; the belief that it is 'cool'; media influence; unstable family; and peer pressure.
- Addiction = a psychological attachment to effects like euphoria and a temporary sense of well-being; use continues even when unneeded or self-destructive.
- Repeated use raises the receptors' tolerance → higher doses needed → greater intake → addiction. Even a single use can be a fore-runner.
- Dependence = the body's tendency to show a withdrawal syndrome (anxiety, shakiness, nausea, sweating) if a regular dose is stopped suddenly; it can be severe or life-threatening and may need medical supervision. Dependence can push a person to ignore social norms to fund the habit.
Solved Examples — Section 12
Q1. Why is adolescence described as both 'a period' and 'a process'?
Answer: It is a period — roughly the years 12–18 — and also a process, during which a child matures in attitudes and beliefs and becomes ready to take part in society. It acts as a bridge linking childhood and adulthood.
Q2. Give three common reasons that first draw youngsters towards drugs or alcohol.
Answer: Curiosity, a need for adventure and excitement, and experimentation. Later use may be driven by a wish to escape problems, academic/exam stress, or the perception that it is 'cool'.
Q3. Define addiction.
Answer: Addiction is a psychological attachment to certain effects — such as euphoria and a temporary feeling of well-being — associated with drugs and alcohol, which drives a person to take them even when they are not needed or when the habit is self-destructive.
Q4. How does rising tolerance lead to greater intake?
Answer: With repeated use, the tolerance of the body's receptors increases, so they respond only to higher doses. To feel the same effect the person takes more, and this greater intake feeds the addiction.
Q5. What is dependence, and what marks the withdrawal syndrome?
Answer: Dependence is the body's tendency to show an unpleasant withdrawal syndrome if a regular dose is stopped abruptly. It is marked by anxiety, shakiness, nausea and sweating, which are relieved when use is resumed.
Q6. Why may a dependent person need medical supervision, and how can dependence affect behaviour?
Answer: Withdrawal symptoms can sometimes be severe and even life-threatening, so medical supervision may be needed to stop safely. Dependence can also push a person to ignore social norms — even turning to stealing — to fund the habit.