Addiction's Start

 My experience is that almost all addicts start their addictions during junior high school. Some transition to other stuff later (i.e. the kid who has her first drink in seventh grade but doesn't find meth till 17) but generally an individual who develops an addiction will have their first use during junior high. In fact, whenever I find someone who has an addiction who doesn't report it starting in junior high I look for a behavioral addiction. With men I ask about compulsivity in their masturbation habits and look to see if it's blossomed into sex addiction, with young women I discuss body image issues and see how those have played out in their lives. Almost always the addiction gets going during adolescence in one respect or another...