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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

#351

Post by crossroadsguy »

01100011 wrote: post #259

A question for older folks: what did drugs do for us? Why did we do them? For me, drugs were: - socialization. I met a lot of friends through alcohol & drugs and they became the social glue for my circle. Alcohol & drugs became a large part of my identity. - a way to cope with boredom. Every day is a party when you're high. - identity. In my generation, drugs were mostly cool and associated with iconoclasts, artists,…

I am about to turn 40 very soon. Do I fall in that generation? Because all those things did hold true and was there when I was growing up/adulting. But I never felt any need of it and many didn’t. But many did. Many still do. Because those small pockets are still around where drug is still cool and even back then those were small pockets!

One of the reasons is - it has become too difficult and costly (at least where I live). Even for weed, which was pretty much kosher unless you were caught by the police keeping KGs on your person or home, it has become too difficult to procure and not get caught. That could be a reason.

In many places where weed is available like cigarettes - maybe it’s not the forbidden fruit anymore. That danger or aura of different is gone with it.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#352

Post by paulryanrogers »

dpndencekultur wrote: post #98
ikmckenz wrote: post #13

Teens aren't doing drugs, smoking, drinking, or having sex. And the suicide rate has never been higher.

Erich Fromm said this in his "Fear of Freedom" We live in a time that we are able to customize our lives to our delights. That makes us lose perspective and purpose. So we look to movements to fill the void. That was back in the 50's/60's I think he was spot on why this generation can't see past the last scroll or click. They don't have perspective because they have not been bred to have it. It's very sad.

> They don't have perspective because they have not been bred to have it. It's very sad.

Did 'bred' once include upbringing? I thought it began and ended with mate selection, pairing, and procreation.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#353

Post by paulryanrogers »

coffeebeqn wrote: post #307
Animats wrote: post #241

The pot industry is having serious problems. The market was not only way overestimated, sales are down.[1] World's smallest violin plays. [1] https://www.ft.com/content/de36eb98-f28d-4594-9ae6-624d25802...

This growth story I never understood. The grey market has been extremely saturated for at least 20-30 years - demand can’t really grow from “everyone who wants it has it”. There is barely any value add that a company can do with the raw output (flower). The growing and processing equipment is already a mature market. Growing is easy if you can follow a basic guide and invest $500 in equipment. Harvesting is just cutt…

Fentanyl contamination is a real concern though.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#354

Post by Spooky23 »

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 think it’s not technology as a thing people are hooked to - it’s taken over social life. My 13 year old and his buddies socialize online, period. In person stuff is mostly organized. That is helped by school policy that got rid of the idea of a neighborhood school.

Additionally, the social activities that coalesced around things like alcohol are out of reach of many teens. I live in a city that had a very active college bar scene. It’s dead and gone. Crackdowns on underage serving and cost drives it away. Happy hour special at a place that other day was $12 for 4 coors lights in a bucket. In 1998, I’d pay $15 for a dozen wings and all you can drink swill for 3 hours.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#355

Post by paulryanrogers »

pvaldes wrote: post #311
bgnn wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

[flagged]

Drugs don't usually kill or cause people to die or otherwise become unwilling or unable to reproduce? In fact they may remove inhibitions and lead to producing more children than those who abstain, at least on the whole.

Anyway, I'm not sure and of that is true. It's just one set of possibilities.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#356

Post by tremon »

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…

> 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?

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#357

Post by cluckindan »

Spooky23 wrote: post #354
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 think it’s not technology as a thing people are hooked to - it’s taken over social life. My 13 year old and his buddies socialize online, period. In person stuff is mostly organized. That is helped by school policy that got rid of the idea of a neighborhood school. Additionally, the social activities that coalesced around things like alcohol are out of reach of many teens. I live in a city that had a very active co…

”My 13 year old and his buddies socialize online, period.”

Nothing new under the sun. Me and my friends were like that 30 something years ago.

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#358

Post by herval »

will5421 wrote: post #313
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…

Playing Devil’s advocate… Socialisation is what’s driving technology use. It’s just happening on the phones, not irl. Just like with alcohol, anyone not participating will be left out. If everyone’s on their phones all the time, IRL socialisation won’t matter compared to socialisation via phones.

I think this was true a decade ago, where people used social media to talk to each other and actively kept chats with friends, etc.

What I’m seeing now is social media got so hyper optimized for engagement that it became a passive consumption mechanism, and the only “socialization” left is sharing memes. It’s a widespread digital heroin epidemic

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#359

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

Re: Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts

#360

Post by lexicality »

cpcallen wrote: post #345

Technology (e.g. highly addictive short-form video apps) seems like a likely explanation; fear of fentanyl is less plausible (it would not deter drinking or vaping). Surely the biggest factor, however, is just the interruption of social contagion? I strongly suspect that physically separating highschool students from their older peers for a couple of years meant that most of the older kids who were in to drugs etc. g…

smh kids be on they damn phone so much it's killing the drug dealing industry
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