I find that cultures who keep things as taboo tend to create a vicious cycle of education problems. Education does not encourage, it exposes both the good and t

I find that cultures who keep things as taboo tend to create a vicious cycle of education problems. Education does not encourage, it exposes both the good and the bad. You learn the navigate the problem instead of being trapped by it. I lost many friends to alcohol/drugs when it was more taboo but easy to access. There was an old expression "say know to drugs". I spent a lot of time as a teen reading about various drugs and their effects. Ultimately, it made me stop exploring. Otherwise I probably would have taken way more risks (which I did before discovering sites such as Erowid back then). I have a teenager, and so far so good. Whether it's fast-food, drugs, alcohol, sex or porn, they exist. My logic usually has been: 1) wait if you can, 2) be moderate, 3) know the good and the bad, learn to set boundaries. My main grief is with alcohol. It's glorified, associated to socializing and sports. The bad impacts of alcohol are taboo, and yet they're everywhere, but it's a big business. I like a drink now and then, with my partner or with friends, but with my partner we have a hard boundary of 2 glasses per week each, and with friends it's max 3 pints, max twice per month. Cannabis twice per month, in small quantities.