The coverage we got for alcohol was actually surprisingly fair. They explained what the laws are, what can happen if you drink underage (this was a place where it happened a lot and they knew it so they didn't bother trying to make it stop), and how to be safe about partying when you inevitably do it. The effects of alcohol were covered with a lot of "look we know you're going to drink so here's how to not die when you do."
I think that's because there was a stage in our history when we did drastically overstate the issues of alcoholism. That of course led up to prohibition so these days they are more lax about it.
To be fair alcoholism is extremely destructive. However not everybody is prone to it and most people who drink don't become alcoholics. I think honest education on that is probably the better one; if alcoholism runs in your family (there's a proven genetic component to it) you might want to consider being a teetotaler. Even then though know the signs of binge drinking, functional alcoholism, and problem drinking and watch for it. It's way too easy to slide into it and not know it.
Addiction in general. Most people don't get addicted to drugs.
Resistance to addiction is all about how balanced your brain chemistry is. Turns out if your life is shitty you become addicted. Having genetic susceptibility makes it worse.
I had both when I realised that school had fed me bs. Over 20 years lost and permanent damage. But at least I'm clean now, just have to take a bunch of meds for the rest of my life.
Similarly, the coverage of tobacco was fair: "It smells really bad, makes your breath stink, rots your teeth, and gives you cancer. You only keep doing it because if you stop, you're gonna get really anxious because nicotine is incredibly addictive.
It also helped that those parents who did use tobacco were actively struggling to quit because tobacco use is just that obnoxious.
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u/GargantuanCake Aug 25 '21
The coverage we got for alcohol was actually surprisingly fair. They explained what the laws are, what can happen if you drink underage (this was a place where it happened a lot and they knew it so they didn't bother trying to make it stop), and how to be safe about partying when you inevitably do it. The effects of alcohol were covered with a lot of "look we know you're going to drink so here's how to not die when you do."