According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction is "a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain." Addiction impairs the body's organs and increases the risk of contracting other diseases. The Science catalog focuses on the disease of addiction and the impact of substance use on brain functioning.
Article
Is Teen Drug Use Related to Brain Size?
Article from NIDA for Teens
From the article:
"Researchers found that higher levels of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use before age 19 correlated with significantly less “gray matter” in two brain areas at age 25."
Less gray matter in a brain area could mean it contains fewer nerve cells (neurons), which might reduce that brain area’s ability to function in a healthy way.
