Teenagers *not* drinking. Is this a new thing?

[roisin]

ds2 (18) and his mates do not drink. I don't mean they do not get pissed, I mean they never touch a drop, of any alcohol. Ever.

It's like they signed the pledge or something.

Not sure where it's come from: not from us(!) not from religion. They first talked about it 3 or 4 years ago when some of their peers started drinking, and they have just stuck with it.

ds2 reckons 30% of undergraduates never drink at all. So, is it a new thing?

KERALA1

Yep. You will struggle to find anything about my DS1 on any of my social media and I only post about DD with her permission.
I've never posted stuff about them without checking. DS1 would be really pissed off.

" cardeyscat
This is very interesting. How do they rebel? I can't imagine a whole generation not rebelling..."

But surely this is the rebellion?

With over 50s the fastest growing group abusing alcohol and 30 somethings being the first binge drinking generation, these are the parents and grandparent whose social norms they are rejecting.

Pagwatch
Yes, I hadn't looked at it like that! I like your thinking.

That's going to be interesting in a few years, when all the currently tiny children whose every fart is documented get to be teenagers.

My teens are not interested in alcohol at all and their friends don't drink either. They are 15 and 16

Drugs are still a big issue, they are cheaper and easier to get hold of than alcohol.

I agree Different

I have always been cautious about posting pictures of my DC on social media. How could I guide them on the perils of posting too much of yourself online if I had already documented every fart since birth on FB.

Just consulted my 15 yr old about the social media thing, and had it confirmed that any identifiable blogging would be hugely intrusive and cause no end of trouble in school. A couple of years ago I switched all the FB photos of my dc to Private, but some parents will have a lot of work to do!

I also have an 18 yr old who doesn't drink, btw. The 15 yr old has the occasional sample but isn't massively keen either.

Sparechange - I hadn't heard about straight edge. I do think his closeknit group have probably made a commitment to/with each other to not touch drugs, alcohol or to smoke. But I wondered if this was more widescale.

Round here there are lots of teenagers who drink far too much and lots of drugs being taken too :(

My older son does drink socially, with us or with mates. I've never seen him drunk though.