It’s 2024, but there are still life lessons to be learned from TV’s Blossom. Recently on her podcast, Mayim Bialik described how she talks to her kids about drugs and alcohol: 

While [alcohol and weed] may not land you in an overdose situation in the hospital, they are the most insidious things, because … our media tells us that they are good, smart, wise and okay, and we’re given every excuse to numb. … I don’t care if you tell me weed’s not addictive. Not feeling pain is addictive. 

For a generation raised on glowing screens, the 24-hour news cycle, and millions of other distractions, mentally “checking out” is intoxicating. That’s why teenage marijuana use is at its highest in 30 years, leading to an increase in mental health issues, including paranoia and hallucinations.  

We must help the next generation know it’s normal to feel bad or bored sometimes. Numbness only delays the pain. 

This Point was previously published on February 13, 2024.