@ the people who don't drink: Don't you go to bars with friends, or BBQs? I'm not suggesting you get smashed, but do you drink soda the whole night?
Having given up drinking completely I don't typically go into bars unless I am going there for some other reason (see a band/comedian, etc). When I DO go to a place like that, I usually drink water. Very often, I end up being the designated driver, which is fine by me. I have found that I tend to be "allergic" to alcohol because just about every time I drink it I seem to break out in cuffs.
As for the thread topic itself, I guess for me I fall into both categories - when I was a young man I wanted to "try everything at least once" but as I grew older I began to realize that not all things are worth trying. Hard drugs (cocaine, heroin and other opiates, amphetamines, benzos, etc) have caused me nothing but big, huge, long, almost epic doses of misery and suffering (addiction, dependence, medical and legal consequences and general stupidity). Soft drugs (marijuana, mushrooms, hashish, etc) I have found to be -generally- harmless if consumed in small amounts and fairly infrequently. Personally, I choose to abstain, but I know people (including family members) who use marijuana on a daily basis and are completely 100% fully functional, job-holding, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens with no problems resulting from the use of those substances.
I'm not a big fan of taking big risks. Skydiving, hang gliding, race car driving, and other "extreme" sports and recreational activities hold no attraction for me.
I smoked cigarettes for over 20 years but quit smoking about 13 or 14 years ago and have not taken a single drag off a cigarette since.
Everything we do in life we learn by the example of others. Both good and bad. The "following a crowd" argument is accurate in that respect. Every individual who has ever lived has learned how to live from those who came before them. If you're "following a crowd" when you smoke a joint, you're also "following a crowd" when you get a job, or go to school, or decide you want to get into photography, or play sports, or play an instrument. We all do what we enjoy doing. Some people (like me) unfortunately, have problems with setting limits on some of those things and that is where we get in trouble. I don't begrudge anyone for trying something, even if it's dangerous. We all get to choose our path in life.