This hopefully this is a future "feel good" story and Allison uses his recovery as a method that teaches other kids the result of drug use. Sometimes an individual is forced to take one step back in order to help numerous people to take one step forward. As society we need to be a Allison believer because he is the type of "celeberty" that has the potential to get the word out about drug use and who knows that word might be heard by one of our grandkids down the road. Time will tell, but we would be foolish, and shamefull not to support him on his recovery and future soberness.
All people that drink or smoke pot do not graduate to harder drugs. Nor, do all heroin addicts start their addiction with rec drugs. This is a very outdated train of thought. Drug use begins, and is associated with the peer group that one runs with. If that group smokes dope, then dope it is. If it is heroine then that persons first drug may be heroin. The addiction is the narcotic, how you get there is environmentally dependent.
It is also not fair to catagorize those who inject as being a "lost cause" versus those who snort, smoke or whatever they do. Bottom line, you use or you don't use.
There seems that eveyone knew of Allisons HS drug problem. Isn't it amazing that everyone comes out of the closet after the shet hits the fan.