It’s a common notion that the earlier in life we discover alcohol or drugs, the bigger the problems we face with them later on.

But the latest research shows that taking a first drink during puberty is the real problem; it’s more harmful then than starting even earlier, say at age 8 or 9.

In other words, it’s puberty itself (roughly ages 10 to 17 for girls, and 11 to18 for boys) that presents the risk, thanks to the still developing adolescent brain.

The brain reward system undergoes major functional changes during puberty. Reward sensitivity peaks, making pubescent teens more vulnerable than they’ll ever be again to rewards and reward-seeking, particularly to drugs.

Therefore, puberty is when alcohol, cannabis, etc. will induce the most destructive, persistent and long-lasting effects on the brain. It’s when the risks of addiction or even neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia are the greatest.

The research puts parents on notice and suggests prevention efforts that increase awareness of the risks and vulnerabilities associated with drinking and drugs during puberty.  Read the full article here.

We’ve all heard the idea that thoughts are things, that we become what we think about. It may strike us as magical thinking, but it’s not. Ask any successful businessperson, athlete, artist or performer. They’ll tell you it’s their positive self-talk and being able to visualize achievement that brings it about. It’s  imagining beforehand how they’ll avoid or overcome obstacles that enables them to act accordingly and ultimately succeed.

Conversely, failure has a lot to do with negative self-talk.

This applies to virtually everything in life, including recovery. The surrender-to-win attitude that comes from turning the results over to a higher power leaves us free to visualize success, to act “as if.” It’s hard to convince most of our students of this, though. They may talk big and appear confident, but their history of failing betrays the negative tapes running in their heads. We can’t overcome negative self-talk with bravado, but we can recognize it for what it is and change the tape.

A helpful item on the subject by Mike Bundrant discusses negative self-talk in a way we can all relate to. Read it here.