Siren Song of the Counter Culture

So here I sit, Monday night waiting to go to dinner with a friend. I've been watching C-SPAN2 for about 4 hours now, and finally come across something that is interesting. It's a presentation by the National Institute on Drugs and Alcohol on the current drug and alcohol usage trends among the population as a whole, but mainly focusing on youth. They're reporting that the decline in usage among kids who were surveyed four years ago is on average 40%. So why I wonder, are many kids deciding not to use drugs anymore and many choosing to never try drugs.
I have a few thories: 1) Kids have begun to use drugs at such and early age, that the age at which it becomes a problem and they realize they need to stop (or are forced into a situation where stopping is not an option) is in the high school years 2) The most recent pop-culture superstars, who come from a genre that historically has been associated with drugs and the stereotypical "rock'n'roll" scene, are now the main supporters of the "straight edge" (no drugs/alcohol/tobacco use) movement sweeping our young people. I'd like to think that the latter is the only true of the two, but the sad part is that both are probably equally true. Unfortuantely I think these are pretty much the only two options that there are...there are a few other theories I'm sure, dealing with national drug control policies and such, which may be somewhat effective, but the one we can for sure rule out is that parents are making a difference. For the most part, parents in the U.S.A. and probably all the other elite countries of the world are worthless. They're too busy buying shit and looking fancy to give a rip about their kids.
So, option one. The first time I smoked weed was in the 6th grade. The first time I did any hard drugs was in the 6th grade. I got expelled from school and arrested in the 7th grade for selling pot. At this time, other than the small handful of "bad kids" at school, I was one of the only kids at school who did drugs. Nobody liked me because of all this. In high school, when I didn't do that stuff as much, it seemed like the cool thing to do. Most kids in the school smoked weed, did drugs, drank, etc, etc. Now that I work with junior high kids, I notice the increasing amount of interest in drugs and alcohol at their age, along with the alarming number of kids who have tried or currently use drugs or smoke weed. I think kids are being exposed to these things at such a young age (those reasons take up a whole new essay) that they get hooked early. Often times in high school, kids are in recovery. On this report i was watching, it said that 12% of folks age 18-25 are recovering alchololic/addicts. What I'm concluding, is that the reason for the decrease in the use of drugs among young people is that we're becoming addicted earlier thus recovering earlier...no more drug/alcohol use.
Now, the one that I like. This one is less disturbing. In the 1970's punk rock was born. In the 1980's punk rock took on an image of extreme drug use, partying, and reckless behavior. In that same decade metal arose and had developed the same image. Finally, in the late 90's and early 21st century, the two genres have merged. Bands like, My Chemical Romance, Atreyu, Trice, and countless other who have become our youth's idols, are promoting and living the straight edge lifestyle. You see all those kids who dress in black, paint blood streaming from their eyes, and wear makeup...yeah, those are the kids who like these bands. Here's the thing, these kids don't just dress and listen to these guys, they think they are God. These kids will do anything that these guys do. Of course there are always exceptions, but by and large these kids are following they're straight edge and anti-sexist ways.
I just think it's rad that something that only a generation ago was considered satanic and problematic has now evolved into something that is beneficial for our kids today. Kids are getting and staying off drugs because of loud angry music. I think it's a sign of a generation that even though we seem stupid and irresponsible, we're learning. And no thanks to all those fuckin parents out there working their six figure jobs who didn't want these kids in the first place. Alright, I'm done...stick that in your smoke pipe and peace it.