Drinking sensibly, never doing drugs – is this the age of the young puritan?

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/27/new-age-of-teen-puritans

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Parents and health practitioners rejoiced last week as school-age consumption of alcohol and drugs fell to its lowest for a decade. The statistics, published by the government's Health and Social Care Information Centre, showed that the number of 11-to-15-year-olds who drink had dropped from 25% in 2003 to 9% in 2013. Drug use was also down, with 16% admitting to ever taking drugs, down from 26% in 2001.

Sophie Grubb, 21, student

While the report shows a drop in drug and alcohol consumption in children, the experiences of my peer group suggest that the decline won't necessarily continue past secondary school. Upbringing undoubtedly has an effect on adult life, but alcohol and illegal substances are likely to be introduced in later years.

The majority of people I know who drink and/or do drugs – and there are a lot of them – did not start until they were at least 16. Before I went to university, I could count on one hand the number of times I had ever been drunk. I had never tried a cigarette, and drugs were a distant concept marked with a giant X.

I've since become normalised to all of the above. I have friends who regularly take MDMA, cocaine and ketamine, and while I still refuse to join in, I think no less of them for it.

I admit to being part of the binge-drinking culture that dominates my generation's social life, which is an area neglected by these figures. Parliamentary research has shown that even though there are fewer young people drinking, those who do are more likely to exceed the recommended intake.

Daniel Hatch, 23, with whom I was at university, agrees: "Today's generation definitely binges more, with nightclubs and bars becoming more popular, and shows like The Valleys and Geordie Shore encouraging it."

The Cardiff student doesn't take drugs, but drinks alcohol as an alternative. "Since I was about nine years old I was around people taking drugs. I definitely feel unique in the sense that I'm the only person I know who has never tried anything, not even a cigarette. I simply wasn't curious.

"This has always been a positive thing for me, though, and my peers are respectful of my choices. Drinking alcohol isn't much different from taking drugs, but at least I know how my body will react."

The recreational use of drugs and alcohol is nothing new. Andy Pearce, from Devon, described to me his life decades ago, as a young adult. "I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s and I partied hard most weekends. Drugs and alcohol were a very big part of teen culture and I tried most of the drugs available, out of rebellion and sheer fun," he said.

Andy credits today's generation with the sense to make informed choices. "I think the current teen culture is more aware of the dangers of drug and alcohol use, because information is freely available."

The recent figures are encouraging, but it is important to conduct similar research throughout teenage years, when exposure is likely to be higher.

Schools should continue to educate pupils about the dangers of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, rather than banning them completely. It's natural that curiosity will arise in teenage years, so it's vital that children are fully aware of the risks should they (inevitably) choose to try anything.

Alex Bradley, 19, student

The research shows fewer young people in the UK are indulging in alcohol, cigarettes, and various drugs. This could give the impression that the current generation are not only calming down, but that their parents were the ones with a higher consumption rate.

As a 19-year-old who feels rather attached to this current generation, I disagree. I don't think the results represent a shift in the mindset of teenagers. While it was once a cool, rebellious thing to take drugs, drink or smoke, it has now become something of the norm for young people.

It's very rare to find 11-year-olds smoking, drinking or taking drugs, but jump to the 13-to-15 age group and it's not unusual.

This has put an end to the idea of people making sure everyone could see they were having a joint in the hope of enhancing their reputation. Now everyone just gets on with it.

For example, when I was 14, the mephedrone craze was in full swing. People were leafleting around town promoting their cheap prices. At this time, it was normal to see kids as young as 13 doing lines with their 16-year-old dealers at house parties.

People of an older generation may claim that similar things happened when they were around that age. The difference now is that hardly anyone comes to school on Monday boasting about whatever substance they were under the influence of at the weekend.

Another reason for the change in the drugs/drinking culture is the lack of concrete subcultures. In the past certain drugs were associated with certain tribes: mods had their amphetamines, hippies their LSD and cannabis, ravers their ecstasy.

These days if you go to a house party where drinking and drug-taking are rife, there will be goths, punks, skaters, athletic kids, all indulging in the same substance with no division. The culture now supersedes the tribal mentality once associated with youth.

This nonchalance about naughtiness, be it drugs, smoking or drinking, could be a reason behind these figures: not as many people feel that ticking a box confirming they use drugs is a rebellious thing to do.

That said, even if the figures are spot on, they do not represent the change in mindset and culture that has taken place. Maybe in previous generations more people dabbled with smoking, drinking and drug taking, but currently if someone tries these things, they will fully commit to that lifestyle.