Drugs have a profound effect on the developing brain of an adolescent.
Many suffer under the illusion that once drug use has stopped, the brain returns to normal. This is simply not the case. One indication of maturity is the ability of an individual to look at themselves objectively, as if they were a third party. This ability begins during the early teens. Individuals with a variety of brain injuries, including tumors, invasive wounds, serious blows to the head, and exposure to toxic chemicals, lose the ability to see themselves accurately and objectively.