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Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

arstechnica.com

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Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#421

Post by badpun »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #6

I wonder if the new drug of choice is actually technology. In some ways I think that the addiction to technology has some similar mellowing effects as drugs. Some research indicates that smartphone addiction is also related to low self-esteem and avoidant attachment [1] and that smartphones can become an object of attachment [2]. The replacement of drugs by technology is not surprising as it significantly strengthens…

I wonder if we're entering an era of social stagnation, caused by screens. Before screen-based entertainment was so ubiquitous, young people (teens and young adults) experienced a lot of boredom, which pushed them to do new things. Many of those things were stupid and bad (drugs etc.), but some of those kids decided they were ambitious and wanted their life to be above ordinary in terms of achievement and impact on the world. Today, there's less room for such thoughts to even emerge - and if they do, they have to compete for mindshare with addictive entertainment on a daily basis.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#422

Post by FireSquid2006 »

I was in eighth grade at the start of the pandemic (college freshman now. Insane how the pandemic was 5 years ago). For a lot of people like myself, it was when I got into programming and found my career. However, I know lots of other people who basically sat on dopamine loop apps all day.

Our habits from then continued on. While I can't prove this, I would suspect that this isnt due to any lack of vice, but because plenty of people have that feeling satisfied by short form algorithm apps.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#423

Post by lotsofpulp »

FooBarBizBazz wrote: post #312
jasonkester wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well said. I remember making a spreadsheet in maybe 1995 laying out the math to compare the real costs and expected gains from buying vs. renting. It mathed out about even. I decided to go with renting instead of buying, with the logic that the S&P didn’t need me to buy it a new roof every 15 years or to work in its garden every weekend. It worked nicely too, growing the money that would otherwise have gone into mort…

A 20% down mortgage is a 5x levered bet. Plus you can roll capital gains into new real estate. The S&P 500 cannot offer these advantages.

A 5x levered bet with no prepayment penalty subsidized by future Americans, and it cannot be called and is non recourse in many states. And it provides shelter.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#424

Post by Zambyte »

thr0w wrote: post #144
vouaobrasil wrote: post #6

I wonder if the new drug of choice is actually technology. In some ways I think that the addiction to technology has some similar mellowing effects as drugs. Some research indicates that smartphone addiction is also related to low self-esteem and avoidant attachment [1] and that smartphones can become an object of attachment [2]. The replacement of drugs by technology is not surprising as it significantly strengthens…

Growing up, people on the street would fidget with their cigarettes. Now they fidget with their phones.

I would argue that the health impacts of both habits are comparable too.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#425

Post by beedeebeedee »

tremon wrote: post #356
jorvi wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m very much for legalizing and regulating (almost) all drugs, but watch out with the confirmation bias of “everyone in my social circle who used recreationally turned out fine.” I can’t find it right now but I read a great comment on legalization that pointed out that a kid experimenting with weed and cocaine in college is doing so for a radically different reason than a kid doing it escape the daily misery of his…

> with them having seen people close to them destroyed by drug use. But isn't this a false correlation, then? Were they destroyed by drug use, or by the daily misery of their ghetto neighborhood?

Spot on- so many social problems get attributed to everything but the economy and inequality. If we could make our system more equitable, then we would not have such desperation.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#426

Post by hamburga »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #323
heresie-dabord wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wonder if the new drug of choice is actually technology Technology certainly is the economic sector that we privilege against all criticism of the harm it does to young people, to voting adults, to information quality, to public discourse, and to democracy itself.

Well, we have tied all of the smooth functioning of society to producing new technology, so regardless of its negative effects or its diminishing returns, we develop it. It's a strong piece of circumstantial evidence for technological determinism, not to mention many advancements are clear-cut cases of the prisoner's dilemma (arms race), such as computer security vs. hackers.

I’ve been looking at it more from an ecological angle.

“We have tied all of the smooth functioning of society to producing new technology” — this implies it was a deliberate decision. Whereas in reality, there’s a selection effect where leaders who embrace technology the most aggressively simply get rewarded in money and power, and they go on to promote accelerationist views with that power.

With the logical conclusion that people are increasingly treated as resources to be harvested by technology.

I don’t know the answer, but I refuse to accept determinism (despite not believing in free will, separate conversation), and I think that framing this as an ecological competition between species — humans vs machines — is clarifying.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#427

Post by vacuity »

kube-system wrote: post #104
ikanreed wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That very wikipedia article you links makes it clear it's not intended to mean religion is a "Drug" in the sense of being addictive, but rather a sociological pain killer. A tonic that limits how much people react to their own suffering.

Absolutely. And smart phones are also not literally a drug. Drugs, video games, alcohol, and religion, are all used as a part of coping mechanisms for many, however.

> a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence

(Merriam-Webster, "addiction")

It might be stretching it somewhat, but I think video games, social media, and religion can manifest a habitual need to indulge, negative effects from doing so, and negative effects from not doing so. Perhaps not in most people.

Coping mechanisms/painkillers can naturally cause some people to be "in too deep" because they keep using it and become dependent.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#428

Post by bluejekyll »

jorvi wrote: post #336
tirant wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fear the (negative) impact of our current technological drugs goes beyond the impact of traditional drugs. I’ve seen kids not even 3-4 years old already hooked to smartphone screens. Even toddlers around 1 year old with an smartphone mount in their stroller. Main impact on kids is lack of socialization, lack of emotional regulation and a complete impact on their capabilities to keep their attention. Those used to b…

I’m very much for legalizing and regulating (almost) all drugs, but watch out with the confirmation bias of “everyone in my social circle who used recreationally turned out fine.” I can’t find it right now but I read a great comment on legalization that pointed out that a kid experimenting with weed and cocaine in college is doing so for a radically different reason than a kid doing it escape the daily misery of his…

The primary reason to legalize isn’t to make it easier to do drugs, it’s to not use the justice and court system for dealing with addiction problems.

Our goal should be to legalize use and then take the money saved from police enforcement and funnel that into programs that get people off drugs. In the US an issue is that the latter part is part of the healthcare system, and we all know that has a lot of issues in serving people who fall into the under-employed category.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#429

Post by moralestapia »

Schiendelman wrote: post #385
moralestapia wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't follow. If the rate has gone and population as well, how come the total number is about the same?

It decreased for older folks, and there are fewer kids now.

Oh, I see it now. Thanks!

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#430

Post by chaps »

tremon wrote: post #356
jorvi wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m very much for legalizing and regulating (almost) all drugs, but watch out with the confirmation bias of “everyone in my social circle who used recreationally turned out fine.” I can’t find it right now but I read a great comment on legalization that pointed out that a kid experimenting with weed and cocaine in college is doing so for a radically different reason than a kid doing it escape the daily misery of his…

> with them having seen people close to them destroyed by drug use. But isn't this a false correlation, then? Were they destroyed by drug use, or by the daily misery of their ghetto neighborhood?

Imagine hearing someone's loved one dying to drug use and asking them, "But isn't this a false correlation?". What a deeply and unsettlingly cold question that lacks any potential for empathy.
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