This webinar is part of the new Positive Choices webinar series, developed by CREMS researchers specifically for parents, teachers, school leaders, and anyone working with young people. The webinar will provide attendees with an overview of the major changes occurring in the adolescent brain and the implications these changes have for the prevention of drug and alcohol problems. We know that up until the age of 24 the adolescent brain is under heavy construction. Whilst these changes lead to a more efficient, fully developed “adult” brain, there’s also evidence to suggest that these relatively late maturation processes also mean that adolescence is a particularly critical period of vulnerability for addiction. In addition, we also know that alcohol and/or drug use can disrupt the normal development of the adolescent brain which has further implications for the misuse of alcohol and drugs, as well as the development of other mental illnesses. These neuroscientific insights into the adolescent brain suggest novel ways for preventing and treating problematic alcohol and/or drug use which will be discussed in detail.

This webinar will lead to:
~Knowledge of the maturational processes occurring in the adolescent brain;
~An understanding of the effects that drug and alcohol use have on these normal developmental processes; and
~Knowledge of novel ways of treating and preventing problematic alcohol and/or drug use that are informed by these neuroscientific advances.