Don't mess with the frontal lobe

"It could be that intense drinking during adolescence leads to delays or incomplete development of frontal brain regions, which in turn leads to problems with attention and executive functioning."

So drinking and drugging in high school does make you dumber, or at least effects your "executive functioning." Well, what the hell is that?

"The concept is used by psychologists and neuroscientists to describe a loosely defined collection of brain processes that are responsible for planning, cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking, rule acquisition, initiating appropriate actions and inhibiting inappropriate actions, and selecting relevant sensory information."

Ahh, I love that: inhibiting inappropriate actions. All of us drunks and druggies have inappropriate actions in our lists of amends we need to make. We all act strangely based on information we often misinterpret. It's all caused by our early non-development. We didn't develop our frontal lobes because we were pouring substances in there. Good news: it can come back.