Student/Parent Lectures - Addictions & the Brain

Today's world with its advancing technologies has changed how we communicate, study, work and indeed, how we behave and think.

Society's youth, comprising of students, teenagers and those entering the workforce for the first time are bombarded with an ever-increasing band of new addictions -- 'lifestyle' addictions!  These addictions are many and varied, but include computer and mobile phone addictions, "binge drinking" and shopping addictions-- to name but a few. Throw into this mix - illicit drugs such as 'ecstasy' and marijuana, consumed regularly under the guise of safe 'recreational' drugs and you can begin to understand the escalating statistics in youth suicide, motor vehicle accident rates and the unmeasurable number who fail to perform or reach their potential.

 'Lifestyle' addictions, as with all other addictions, will eventually affect performance, attitude and behaviour, be it in study, work or relationships. It is during the teenage and early adult years that the brain undergoes significant changes and it is during this time of maturation that illicit drugs, addictive behaviours and brain injury will have the greatest influence, altering the brain's neurochemical functioning and often setting up negative life long patterns of behaviour.

Inevitably, these addictions will affect not only people's personal lives, but also their ability to perform at an appropriate and sustained level, be it at school or University, on the sports field or in the workplace.

This lecture on Addictions & the Brain aims to present parents, teachers and educational health professionals with a unique opportunity to build on their understanding of addictions, both from a neuroscience and functioning brain imaging perspective and in doing so, assist them in a practical way to address, educate and deal with addictive issues on a day-to-day basis.