Summary
Teen drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in the U.S. continues to decline, with record-low usage levels reported in 2023, according to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey.
Among 12th graders, 66% reported no recent use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, while 80% of 10th graders and 90% of 8th graders avoided these substances entirely.
Experts attribute the decline partly to reduced peer pressure during the pandemic.
However, nicotine pouch use has doubled among 12th graders, raising concerns.
Despite pop culture’s glamorization of smoking, teen cigarette use remains low.
On the one hand, cigarettes are bad and everyone should quit. And alcohol should be used in moderation. And many drugs are very dangerous and addictive and should be avoided. So this is probably good.
On the other hand, if this means are just sitting home alone, maybe having parasocial relationships with influencers, that’s sad.
Teenagers going out to party - bad
Teenagers sitting at home - also bad.
What the hell are kids supposed to do? Just not exist from the period where we stop finding them cute till adulthood?
Already being worked on. Fertility rates are below replacement rate and keep dropping.
Going out to party isn’t bad. Sitting at home using drugs and alcohol compulsively because you are addicted is bad. It’s a fine line to walk but lots of people do it. I did every drug under the sun as a youth and turned out fine, and this applies to pretty much my entire university cohort. Not a single one of them ended up as a junkie.
Should we encourage kids to drink and do drugs? I don’t know tbh. That experience was genuinely positive for me because it gets me out there in the world, made me friends and memories and taught me lessons about moderation. From my point of view the people who ended up getting the shit end of the stick were the handful of people I know who got addicted to WoW and online gambling, not the one who did drugs on occasion. But apparently those things are becoming common and culturally acceptable while partying isn’t. Take that as you will.
For my kid who is very athletic, I always phrased it as “don’t destroy your cardio by inhaling any ashes or burning stuff”
But he is so strait laced and so careful with his health that it’s not really an issue.
My other kid is a different story. Luckily he doesn’t like the smell of cigarettes or pot smoke, but I found out his vice when he offered me a gummy. First: cool, second: shit, I was supposed to yell at you
Why do you single out alcohol as “should be used in moderation”? It’s literally a hard drug and way worse than cigarettes.
Does “hard drug” have an agreed upon definition?
I’m pretty sure cigarettes are worse. Much more addictive, harmful to the user and nearby people, and the cigarette butts I think are an environmental hazard.
Alcohol use is as old as human civilization. I don’t think light usage is that hazardous.
TLDR: Alcohol is a psychoactive, addictive carcinogen that will give you cancer no matter the consumption (though of course the more you drink the worse it becomes). It’ll also fuck up your liver, but that’s not mentioned in this article as it focuses on cancer.
That aside, where did you get that cigarettes are more addictive than alcohol? Only one of these will literally kill you if you quit cold turkey unprepared and it’s not cigarettes.
