What have you learned about addiction?

What I learned is that addiction is a disease. Alcohol is a drug that affects the brain’s reward system. It’s the same system that processes our love and desire for things that our bodies need to survive, like food and water. Alcohol and other drugs hijack this reward system and take dominance over all our other desires and needs. This dependency on drugs, including alcohol, affects more than 40 million people in the United States alone.

Research from CASA Columbia has shown us that one in four people who start using an addictive substance before they are 18 years old become addicted. That risk drops to one in 25 for those who wait until they are 21 or older. Ninety percent of those with an addiction today started smoking, drinking, or using other drugs before they were 18 years old. These facts encouraged my oldest brother and me to start the “Wait 21” campaign.

What is Wait 21?

Wait 21 started as a resource for students to learn about the science of addiction. We developed a 3.5-minute video that explains addiction as a disease. In May 2015, I helped develop the Wait 21 Pledge Program, which gives students the opportunity to pledge to wait until they are 21 or older before they consider drinking alcohol. Students recommit three times a year, and they receive scholarship opportunities for participation as well as an official letter of recognition that they can include in college applications.

My goal is to encourage young people around the world to take the Wait 21 pledge. If I can help spread my knowledge about what I learned when I was 16 years old, I believe we can see a future free from addiction and help the lives and families of future generations.

Wait 21 has given me the opportunity to talk and connect with youth around the world. In sharing my story with so many people, my desire to spread my message and change the world has intensified. My love for my mom grows as I’ve learned how to help her and others who struggle with addiction. My goal is to prevent others from being stuck in the grip of addiction. I believe Wait 21 is the best vehicle for accomplishing this goal.