Do you think kids turn to drugs due to not knowing how to entertain themselves?

You might be on to something; When I was young we jumped on moving trains to get to the next town, rode sleds down tree lined hills with a real chance of severe injury, Cruised in our cars for hours on end, and generally pulled harmless pranks and raised hell. Now the government and society has cracked down on anything they see as dangerous so hiding in a back alley or some dark room getting high is all that is left.

I have trained and worked with addictions and the 3 (in my opinion) main reasons kids get addicted is peer pressure, drugs make them feel "Normal" and they have been abandoned or felt abandoned when they were young. Drugs and booze addiction is a disease once they become addicted the disease tells them they are not addicted and they are OK. Talk to a drunk or a person high and if you ask them how are they doing almost 99% will say I am doing OK.

I think it all depends on what drugs you are referring to.

If its alcohol and cigarettes then yes I think kids do turn to them.

I can remember at our villages open air carol service on Christmas Eve there were a group of teenage lads and girls smoking so it wasn't a case of not knowing how to entertain themselves, they still joined in the carol singing but I think they wanted to look cool and grown up.

i think they just want to be under the influence.