For the past decade, drug and alcohol use among American teens has decreased, but, over the last three years, those numbers have again increased.
The Partnership at Drugfree.org surveyed about 2,500 high schools students for the Partnership Attitude Tracking Survey. Between 2008 and 2010, the number of teens who admitted to marijuana use rose from 32 to 39 percent. Over that same time, ecstasy use rose from six to 10 percent.
When asked about alcohol, 45 percent of students said they don’t see a “great risk” in a daily pattern of heavy drinking, while 31 percent have a problem with their peers getting drunk. In total, 68 percent of the students said that they’ve consumed alcohol before. The average age of the first drink was 14. However, a quarter of the students had their first drink before 12.
Students surveyed say they drink “because it’s fun” or “so they won’t feel left out.”
Twelve! The craziest thing I drank when I was twelve was when I put some orange soda in a cup that still had some apple juice left in it. I’m pretty sure I was sick for the rest of the week. Granted, I was a pure, generally perfect child, but still. Twelve!
Steve Pasierb, director of the partnership, said:
You’re seeing this weakness in this generation of teens’ attitudes around drug and alcohol use. It’s not like this generation of kids thinks they’re more bulletproof than others, but they really don’t see any harm in that heavy drinking.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free
The partnership also noted that stress, along with “the normalization of drug use in social media, the proliferation and discussion of medical marijuana, and budget cuts to substance abuse prevention programs,” has contributed to the rise in substance abuse among teens.
All of these reasons, plus countless others, have probably combined to cause this increase in drinking and drug use. This isn’t an epidemic. No widespread societal change is going to happen, and nor should it. Regardless of the legal drinking age, you don’t need me to tell you that something’s probably wrong if your kid is drinking a six-pack a day before he graduates middle school.
—Photo sitemodelbtk/Photobucket
Super Website…
[…] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[…]…
The only thing about this is I’m just glad I don’t need any of that stuff to live a fun, fulfilling life. Sure, I have a Smirnoff now and then, but I’ve never been drunk; not even tipsy. My bad bladder keeps me from getting to that point when it punishes me with uncontrollable urinating for about an hour and a half after just one. Not that I would even without the bad bladder, because then lethargy sets in after two.
From a Mens angle it seems this issue is doomed to a stalemate; for every man who brags about how much alcohol he can ‘hold’ there’s a man bragging about how much he doesn’t ‘need’ alcohol.
Moreso, don’t tell kids not to damage their brains in a society where pro athletes, entertainers, and ruthless businessmen are valued more than scientists and educators.
Perhaps The Partnership at Drugfree.org ought to quit bathing in the trappings of 19th century morality and moralizing and change their name to Druguse.org. Drug and alcohol use is mainstream and will only continue to gain widespread acceptance. While at the same time it’s still being denigrated by the various forces in society we’ve allowed to fashion themselves into moral crusaders and speak for What’s Right. Drug use is a fact. Maybe we ought to wonder why all these cheap palliatives are being employed, why the pain which must be numbed, is there in the first place, why the cheap… Read more »