(He has no desire to start drinking etc early or at all at this point.)
Long term health impacts are high, as someone in my 50s I'm certainly doing better for my choice. And yes, not making stupid decisions under influence also cannot be underestimated.
Could it be that, kids are doing less drugs because they’re more informed, less bored, and less reckless than previous generations?
We all aspire that our kids will do better than we have. We did our best to instill a sense of confidence and worth in them.
What if it is finally starting to just, f’ing work?
Taking this on a bit of a tangent, but as an elder millennial, I recall having been told (by elder relatives in their mid-30s at the time) all about how one day I'd too be an "old fogey" looking down on "teens being teens" and how such progression is just the way of things. Hell, I still hear people preaching such "wisdom" today to their youngers.
Yet here I am, just past the age I'm supposedly meant to start ragging on "kids today", and all I can remark is that this same 16-22 set you speak of are remarkably respectful, polite, and considerate, perhaps more so than my own cohort at that age. I almost worry they're not rebellious enough for their own good.
Teen suicide rates have almost doubled since the iPhone came out, so I think there’s something real going on here even if it’s not visible to us.
As to why I choose to abstain, I honestly am just not interested in drinking or doing drugs. I don't see any benefit to it socially, since I have more fun with my friends doing things while they are sober, and I don't want to be one of those adults that can't socialize without it. Also, the consequences for getting caught are high.