U.S. teen tobacco use has hit a record low
ad: Short for advertisement. It may appear in any medium (print, online or broadcast) and has been prepared to sell someone on a product, idea or point of view. addiction: The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines this as a complex chronic disorder that is characterized by a difficult-to-control compulsion to use some drug, despite knowing that it will likely have harmful impacts. A first exposure to these drugs is usually voluntary. But repeated use of certain ones, NIDA explains, can create “changes to brain circuits involved in rewards, stress, and self-control.” Those changes can make it very hard to resist the urge to continue using drugs. The term has also been expanded to some behaviors that become dangerous and/or excessive, such as gambling, shopping and video game use. addictive: An adjective to describe something that become habit-forming in an uncontrolled or unhealthy way. This can include a drug or some habit (such as video game playing or phone texting). Such addictions reflect an illness triggered by brain changes that occur after using some drugs or engaging …