Is using drugs an impulse decision? For some yes, for others no. Generally speaking people who abuse drugs have little impulse control. That is certainly an inhibiting factor when they try to quit using.
A recent study reported in US News, revealed that teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and teens who start using cigarettes, drugs or alcohol both share impulsiveness in their personalities.
But a new brain-imaging study of nearly 1,900 14-year-olds finds that the brain networks associated with impulsivity in teens with ADHD are different compared to those who use drugs or alcohol.
This is groundbreaking research if it can be corroborated in other studies. This would mean that the impulse to blow off chores is completely different from an impulse to experiment with drugs or alcohol.
ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder marked by excessive levels of activity, inattention and impulsiveness beyond what's normal for a child's age.
People with ADHD are at higher risk of substance abuse and alcoholism. The explanation was thought to lie in the lack of self-control or inability to curb impulses that are part of the disorder.
Researchers did find distinct patterns of brain activity in ADHD and in kids who'd tried alcohol, cigarettes or drugs while taking the test.
Among the kids who had tried alcohol, cigarettes or other drugs (mostly marijuana), scans showed different patterns of brain activity compared to teens who had abstained.
Even teens who reported having only tried a drink or two by age 14 showed a different pattern of activity.
This is groundbreaking in that we see that the brain differences aren't caused by the substances, but are already present and play a role in what drives certain teens to experiment with alcohol and others to abstain.
I look forward to more research on this topic. If it can be determined that we are wired differently, perhaps drug and MIP classes combined with some blocking medication can help kids with ADHD from becoming victims of substance abuse.