Overuse and Misuse: The Dark Side of Prescription Drugs

When someone experiences a health issue, whether it be a broken leg or trouble sleeping, usually the first person they go and see is a doctor. It is here that doctors will often prescribe drugs to the patient in order to help them overcome their issue, but often overlook potential side effects. People do not realize how devastating prescription drugs can be because our culture and doctors have a big influence on the way people look at drugs. Medicine is overused in today’s society and prescription drugs are abused while better alternatives are ignored. I have grown up in a culture that does not take the idea of drugs as seriously as they should. When I say drugs I am not specifically highlighting illegal drugs. Rather, I am referring

Drugs are readily available all around us. Personally, I know I have walked into a doctor’s office with a seasonal cold and have walked out with a handful of prescription medications. This behavior makes me wonder if there is a healthier alternative. Or perhaps doctors write prescriptions so easily because they are rewarded with financial incentives to do so? We trust our doctors feeling like they are always looking out for our best interest, but businesses first priority is making money. Every time you go to the doctor it does not necessarily mean that you need to be prescribed a new medication, but sometimes it feels this way. I know there are better alternatives than pills for every symptom. I have grown up in a household that when I am sick, most of the time, I do not go to the doctors. Just this school year, my roommate and I both had a common cold. Our ways of fighting off this cold were much different from one another. I found myself making sure I was eating healthy and getting in daily exercise. On the other hand, my roommate’s way of combating off this cold was getting prescribed a week’s worth of medicine. We both got better within a couple days, but I was not putting nasty chemicals into my body to do