Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
Why adolescents are at risk of misusing alcohol and gambling
1Corresponding author: Psychological Medicine Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 4 place Van Gehuchten, 1020 Brussels, Belgium. xnoel@ulb.ac.be.
Aims:
The aim of the study was to explore the reasons for alcohol misuse and other risk-taking behaviours in adolescence.
Methods:
Narrative review.
Results:
Vulnerable adolescents make suboptimal addictive-related choices in the period of initiation of alcohol use and gambling, which is also a period of cognitive and brain development, and in health behaviours. Hyperactive response to rewards as well as possibly hypoactive responses to punishments combined with weaknesses in the abilities to regulate strong impulses results in greater risk of alcohol and gambling misuse.
Conclusion:
Abnormal patterns of alcohol consumption (e.g. binge drinking) could dramatically reinforce this disequilibrium by enhancing salience for alcohol and associated information and compromising self-regulatory processes. There are some preventive and therapeutic cognitive training strategies that can strengthen willpower in adolescents.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Depressants
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

