The distinction between drugs and alcohol is a legal one only as far as I'm concerned. There are certainly different shades of grey but since there are illegal drugs that I believe to be both less harmful and less addictive than alcohol, it'd be unfair to leave alcohol out of the list. It is legal though, and that does matter quite a bit--I'm only frustrated when a moral or health-related difference is drawn. Both are "bad", mmkay?
Let's just say it--I'm white trash. I come from the places where people live in double wides so they can fit the pool table in it. A nice car is one that's not on cinder blocks in the front yard. So the point is, I come from this really bad place where there's a lot of drug addicts and alcoholics. I have a lot of experience having to deal with, live with and live around people with these problems. It's not fun. It doesn't just destroy the addict, it destroys everyone around them.
Of course, I'm a bit of a social anarchist. The libertarians would kick me out for my extreme views so of course--I believe drugs should be illegal in much the same way that I think pointy sticks should be illegal. If people want to poke themselves in the eye, what are you gonna do, take the sticks away? I wish our laws were (in addiction to being a lot fewer in number) structured around an actual crime committed against another person. I wish drugs and alcohol were only considered for sentencing when the court is trying to decide just how irresponsible you were. I wish the sentencing was not only punitive--I wish the drug clinics were paid for through community service from the people convicted of these kind of crimes. I wish for a utopia but I mostly wish this country would return the role of responsibility to the citizen.
Not everyone has a "problem" with recreational drug use, though. For some people, the biggest problem is the fact that it's illegal. Let me share my thoughts on that. If you do drugs and manage to not commit any crimes against other people, I'm fine with that. If on the other hand you buy or sell drugs knowing that they're illegal to purchase, illegal to posses and illegal to consume knowing that you've got children at home who depend on you to be a good father and an income owner--you're scum. You don't take unnecessary risks like prison when you have kids at home and call yourself a good person.
The real root of the problem in teenage drug use is apathy, I think. Apathy is the real disease our country's children are faced with. Mentoring and apprenticeships become fewer all the time. We have no required military service. We have colleges that almost seem routine--everyone goes now, they take the same standardized tests and run through the same standardized material for all the state mandated courses... and at the end of it all, they end up with a psychology degree hoping to some day make shift manager at McDonald's. It's not just that kids are bored, it's that they don't care. We're in a vicious cycle of apathy.
As for me, I'm German, Irish and Native American. I'm born to drink. My family is riddled with alcoholics up both sides of the family tree. I understand enough about my own psychology to know how vulnerable I am to becoming one, myself. I have a high tolerance so I can drink like nobody's business--then end up drunk off my ass because I didn't have to set a limit. I don't drink that often but when I do, I tend to drink a lot. I realize this is an early warning sign and treat it as one. Meanwhile, I still live--I'm planning to grab some mararita supplies before heading to my little brother's for a BBQ today. Luckily I don't tend to overdo it in front of the relatives so I should be pretty safe.
I feel like when I go on these rambling tirades in a public internet forum that I have to end in a moral, so here it is. Know yourself. Know where you are and what you're capable of. Know what and who you're responsible for. Know the consequences of your actions. Follow the only law of my faith: be deliberate in your actions.