D.A.R.E. Prepared Me for the Wrong Decade

D.A.R.E. taught an entire generation how to say no to drugs and resist peer pressure. The problem? Nobody warned us that peer pressure might actually get more complicated in adulthood. Today, it can look like gummies passed around at concerts, Adderall jokes at happy hour, GLP-1 before-and-after photos, wellness supplements, influencer recommendations, and the quiet pressure to find something…anything…that helps us keep up. Maybe D.A.R.E. didn't prepare us for the wrong problem. Maybe it just prepared us for the wrong decade.