The Rebellion (Post 2): How Did We Get Here?

This is the second post of the series on The Rebellion. This post is about the party culture of drinking and drugs that have slowly made their way into high schools and junior high schools.
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Ever fall asleep in the car and wake up and wonder where in the world you are? Well, that's pretty much how I have felt for the past year. I "slept" through my years of high school. I really could care less what my friends or classmates did. Then I woke up and realized I had no clue where I was. The last I remembered, everybody was simply innocent kids, but now? Now, I don't know who these people are. Honestly, I was still trying to figure out who I was. It is at that instant that you begin to see something big has changed. People have changed. Rules have changed. Beliefs have changed. Morals have changed. Even some of my friends had changed. What do you do? What can you do? Is there anyway to fix it?
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The moment that I woke up, is the moment that I started caring about teenagers. I looked out on everyting that was going on. From alcohol, to drugs, to bad relationships, to bad decision making, to thrill seeing, to resenting the church, and everything in between; and I saw the need for something to happen. Too often I read that a group of teenagers were in a car wreck, or that the cops busted up a party over the weekend. It happens all the time. I also hate seeing people that I used to know as strong Christians, turning into people that blend in with the rest of the crowd. A majority of these changes occur in college, because people are given freedom. It's up to them to decide who they want to be. As I looked more into this though, I found that the behaviors that are typical of college students have become more common in high schools as well as some junior high schools. The culture of teens is changing quickly, and as of right now, there is no stopping it.
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So, what has happened? Well, first of all teen alcohol use is on the rise. According to http://family.samhsa.gov/, 74.3% of teens have tried alcohol. According to the same website, 28.5% of teens have been driven by someone who has been drinking.  However, the most shocking part is that 1/4 of teens have drank alcohol before they were 13 years old. BEFORE THEY WERE 13! The frequency of having your first drink before 13 is also growing, and it is only getting worse:

12th Graders - 19.3%
11th Graders - 20.5%
10th Graders - 26.2%
  9th Graders - 33.9%

It is slowly becoming normal for kids to drink, and it only gets worse in college. The first day of my english class I told a group of people that I didn't drink, and they could not believe it. One person even said that it was weird. That is what we have come to today, and that's why we need to fix things.
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Since alcohol has already been conquered, drugs is becoming more prevelent. On http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teendrugstatistics.html, they say that a little over 50% of students have used illegal drugs. This was as of 2003, so you can assure that the number has grown. What is causing us to do this, and why are people doing it?
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Reasons for teens to use drugs and alcohol vary from person-to-person. I believe that the nature of teenagers is often to do what they are told not to do. It's kind of like saying, "Don't touch the red button." Some people are going to do it just to find out what happens. Every teenager has a curiosity about things that are "bad" for them. This is often due to peer pressure, and I know we have all heard that rap before...so I will spare you. Another common reason is because it is a way to escape. Just like many people escape through music or books, people escape through drugs or alcohol. What would happen if we could replace their escape with something else? How would we even do that?
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It's hard to say what would be the best way to change what is happening. However, I think the best way is simply being an example. Show people there is another way. Sounds simple, but it is true. I have a close group of friends that are good about keeping eachother in line. We have just as much, if not more, fun than the people who choose to party. I think that if people would just find people that will hold them accountable, then a large part of the problem would be solved.
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That is only a part of the problem, though. We will have to work hard to truly fix what is going on. There are many ways people try to help. As I said before, being an example and being a light for Christ (aka living a life of excess) is one of the best ways. Shoving your beliefs into peoples faces is by far the worst way to get your point across. Too many people try to "save out of fear." They tell people that they are going to hell, or (and this is the worst I've heard) that God doesn't love them. That's no way to fix it, and it is a large reason why people reject Christ's love. Next week I'm going to dedicate an entire blog to the biggest issue facing teens, the role of "religion." I am going to talk about the role that Christianity plays in the everyday lives of teens. From Christian Teens, to Bible Thumpers, and why all of these play a huge role in what is going on. So, be sure to check out next weeks post "The Rebellion (Post 3): Faith, Hate, and Things Like That."
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Teenage alcohol use statistics from:
http://family.samhsa.gov/talk/alcohol.aspx

Teenage drug use statistics from:
http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teendrugstatistics.html