For years, the dominant narrative around teen substance use has blamed apathy for young people turning to drugs out of boredom or a lack of motivation. But for current Lancers, the story is far more complex.
Instead of being the cause, apathy is often the consequence, a byproduct of the substances themselves.
“I didn’t start using because I didn’t care about life,” anonymous student said. “At first, it was just fun, an escape from stress. But soon, the highs became something I depended on. When I wasn’t using it, I felt empty, like nothing really mattered.”
This cycle is one that many students know all too well. It begins with curiosity or social use, but quickly turns into something deeper. Over time, the brain adapts, and that initial rush is harder to find. The result: An emotional numbness that looks like apathy from the outside.
An anonymous former drug-using student, who has since quit and joined a local recovery program, told The Lancer how the substances changed them.
“People thought I was just checked out, that I didn’t care about anything,” the anonymous senior student said. “But in reality, the drugs made me that way. I wasn’t indifferent to life before I started using. I became that way because of the addiction.”
A recent Los Angeles Times study shows a strong link between using weed vape cartridges and harmful, unregulated pesticides found in them. This issue has received a lot of attention in the news for further raising conversations discussing the impact substance use can have on young minds.
Despite these findings, many school and community programs still frame drug prevention as a battle against teenage disinterest rather than addiction itself. Some students believe that shifting the focus could lead to better support.
“Instead of just telling us to ‘care more’ or ‘stay motivated,’ we need real conversations about how drugs change our brains,” anonymous student said.
With youth substance use on the rise, understanding the true causes is more important than ever. If the real issue isn’t apathy but the impact of the substances themselves, then breaking the cycle starts with changing the way we approach prevention, education and support.
