5 ms·
Teen drug and alcohol use has fallen
- runnr_az 10y agoSad!
- tzakrajs 10y agoIt seems we don't win anymore. Bigly.
- jaclaz 10y agoI suspect that also sex and rock'n roll are not going that strong anymore ...
- TallGuyShort 10y agoMy disappointment every time I turn on the radio concurs with your hypothesis.
- fatdog 10y agoThere could be a diversity effect in their data, given demographic changes as a consequence of immigration patterns, relationship to authority, and cultural attitudes toward alcohol.
- mc32 10y agoCigarette smoking has trended down. There was an article the other day claiming that evidence showed cig smokers tended to eventually drink and go into other drugs.... So, if cigs were a gateway, then it could make sense alcohol and other drugs use has gone down.
- spoiledtechie 10y agoIf this is true, it proves the gateway drugs can have a large affect on stronger things.
- yazaddaruvala 10y agoThe causality here has always been misguided because of the name "Gateway" given to these drugs by the media. "Gateway" drugs are not gateways people use to transition through, and shouldn't be thought of or called as such. They are "first warning" drugs. Almost all toothaches do not need a root canal, but some toothaches are definitely the first warning sign for needing a root canal. <strike>Children</strike> People, who are more likely to try cigarettes/alcohol are also more likely to try harder drugs, and people who are more likely to try harder drugs are more likely to try even harder ones. Usually the causality is related to issues at home / issues at school / issues of biology+psychology. They have a desire to exit society because it has failed them. The fact that they do "mild"(i.e. more common) drugs before they do "harder" ones is simply common sense on their part. FWIW, these same people would likely fail the cookie test[0]. There is an interesting Ted talk[1] which discusses the correlation between heroin addiction and a feeling of belonging. i.e. if you feel detached from your community you're at risk. And inversely if you're an addict, being accepted into a community is the biggest predictor of successfully overcoming the addiction. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experimen... [1] https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_y...
- taurath 10y agoCould be that the kids who used to be likely to smoke cigarettes are all on adderall instead.
- mariojv 10y agoMaybe that decline was caused by a rise in e-cigarette usage? https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/teens-e-cigarettes https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/i...
- kkoomi 10y agoIt's pretty fun finding and deleting all the HTML/JS elements in Chrome that block the article..
- plussed_reader 10y agoBoy oh boy, I'd love to see this data correlated with which parts of the country practice comprehensive sex ed vs abstinence only (mis)education.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- allenz 10y agoThere might be a correlation, but it wouldn't prove anything. The data might be just as strongly correlated with income, class, race, etc.
- rednerrus 10y agoThey have better drugs now: Internet, iPhone, Facebook.
- galago 10y ago"They have better drugs now" could also be followed by a list of common prescription drugs. I think there was a previous thread about this study showing that Adderall and methamphetamine are, at similar dose, indistinguishable. http://theinfluence.org/neuroscientist-meth-is-virtually-identical-to-adderall-this-is-how-i-found-out/ http://theinfluence.org/neuroscientist-meth-is-virtually-ide...
- collyw 10y agoI can assure you, those aren't better than the drugs that my friend tried in the past.
- jondiggsit 10y agoWho needs drugs and alcohol when the kids are hopelessly addicted to input
- eliasbagley 10y agoHey man... Got any more of that snow crash?
- lowpro 10y agoI worked with some college students from South Korea, and they were very surprised that hardly anyone smokes on campus, mainly people from outside the country. Although it's decreased in the US, I wonder if the cig companies have coped by pivoting into the global market and pushing hard that way. Also, I'm betting that alcohol consumption isn't down overall in teens, they're just smart and would never say they've had a drink or drink at any point. Speaking from very recent personal experience.
- setrofim_ 10y ago> I wonder if the cig companies have coped by pivoting into the global market and pushing hard that way. That is exactly what happened. Global tobacco business is better than ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UsHHOCH4q8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UsHHOCH4q8