Brain Basics
What organ in your body helps you learn, make decisions, and plan for the future?
The brain.
During adolescence, is the brain fully developed or still developing?
Still developing.
What chemical in the brain helps create feelings of pleasure and reward?
Dopamine
What is the medical term for addiction?
Substance Use Disorder.
Name one thing your brain helps you do besides thinking.
Examples: learn new things, make choices, build relationships, feel emotions, plan for the future.
Why are teenagers more likely to take risks compared to adults?
The limbic system (emotion/reward) matures before the prefrontal cortex (impulse control), creating an imbalance that drives risk-taking behavior.
What happens to dopamine levels when many drugs are used?
Drugs cause a much larger release of dopamine than normal.
What term describes continued physical reliance on a drug despite negative consequences?
Drug dependency.
2000 point question!
Why do you think many people continue using substances even after they start experiencing negative consequences in their life?
more than one person must answer
What does it mean when we say everyone’s brain is unique?
Each person has different talents, interests, personality traits, and values.
how does starting drug use as a teenager affects the risk of developing addiction compared to an adult.
People who start using substances before age 18 are 4–7 times more likely to develop addiction than those who start as adults.
9 out 10 people with a SUD started using as teens.
Why can drugs feel good at first but still be harmful over time?
They overstimulate the brain’s reward system, which can change how the brain works.
What is tolerance?
When a person’s reaction to a drug decreases over time, so they need more to feel the same effect.
Why can drug dependency interfere with daily life?
Because obtaining and using the drug becomes the person’s main focus. Priorities quickly shift due to the brain re-wiring itself.
Which part of the brain is responsible for planning, decision-making, and self-control?
The prefrontal cortex. Front part.
Bonus 100 points: Why is this area of the brain important to keep healthy for teens?
What process in the brain removes connections that are not used very often?
Pruning. The adolescent brain regularly gets rid of neural connections that are not used and strengthened the connections that are. this is called Neuroplasticity.
Bonus 100 points: Why does this process make teen substance use riskier?
How can repeated drug use affect what the brain finds rewarding?
The brain may start valuing the drug more than normal healthy activities.
Bonus 100 points: Someone shares their experience with drug use on their ability to have fun sober.
What is withdrawal? and why does it occur?
Negative symptoms that occur when someone stops using a drug. The body no longer produces certain chemicals in the brain and body that the substances provide.
Name some healthy activities that naturally boosts dopamine without drugs.
Acceptable answers include exercise, listening to music, eating, spending time with friends, achieving a goal, or creative activities. These are sustainable, non-harmful ways to activate the reward system.
Why is the brain especially important to protect during adolescence?
Bonus 100 points: What are the chemical messengers used in the brain called?
Because it is still developing and forming connections that shape decision-making, behavior, and identity. the brain stops developing around 25.
Bonus: Neurotransmitters
What effect does cannabis use have on the developing teens brain?
Regular teen marijuana use can disrupt the development of white matter (the brain's "wiring"), impairing memory, attention, and the ability to learn new information.
studies have shown a drop in IQ points for those that use cannabis over long period of time.
What role does dopamine play in the brain?
Dopamine helps teach our brains what to continue doing. Drugs hijack this process and lead to unhealthy habits being formed.
Explain the concept of "chasing the high" and why it leads to a cycle of addiction.
First use creates intense dopamine release. The brain compensates by reducing dopamine receptors. Normal activities feel gray and flat. The person needs more drug just to feel normal — not even to feel good. This is the addiction cycle.
Bonus 100 points: How has addiction affected your life either directly or indirectly?
Why do you think people often underestimate their own risk of developing addiction?
more than one person must answer.