It is interesting to think that, not only is a substance that can make you feel like there are bugs cawing all over you so that you scratch your own skin off in trying to get rid of them, but that there is a large percentage of the population that actually prefers that over reality. Do you ever sit there and question what is the point of life? Do you fantasize about life being different? Well of course you do, along with the rest of us mortals. Of course there are things that people do in order to bring about those dreams of a different life. The best roughs would be that of going to school, getting a job, picking up an art form, and other forms of hard work that are generally accepted forms of self-improvement. Because, of course, if you work These drugs are not recreational drugs and are not used to alter the reality to fit the mind but more to alter the mind to fit the reality. With the buffet of drugs ranging to antidepressants to mood stabilizers we have become accustom to popping pills to make it through the day. The rise of disorders such as ADHD, Autism, and Bipolar depression are most commonly the excuse for the massive amounts of drugs used by society. Yet this doesn 't explain why there are so many people who are not diagnosed with anything at all and still find the drug necessary for getting through the day. A common complaint is that children fifty years ago didn 't need such drugs so why should the children today need them. Well the simple answer is this: Today we expect far more out of children than we did a century ago when drugs were not and teenagers were not more commonly depressed then not. Yet we keep pushing more and more expectations on children at younger and younger ages. That is also only thinking about the students who take these drugs as prescribed. According to a study done in 2006 as many as thirty-five percent of college students use ADHD stimulants. (Illicit Use of Prescription ADHD Medications on a College
But Brown is not part of this 3-5% of the population. For Brown and others without the disorder, ADHD medications increase dopamine levels in the brain, giving the user a sense of euphoria similar to cocaine. Students at Northeastern University as well as other campuses are consuming these drugs for better academic performance and a cheap high on the college party scene. Students are taking Ritalin, Addrall, and the newest drug on the market, Conserta, either orally or crushing and snorting them to study, party, or lose weight. In some cases, kids are melting them down and shooting them up. According to Northeastern students, the drugs are very cheap and very accessible.
The use of psychotropic medication in children and adolescents dates back to 1937 when Charles Bradley conducted a study by prescribing the stimulant amphetamine sulphate (Benzedrine) to modify the behavior of children with severe behavioral disturbance. (Adams, 1991) Since these studies were conducted, more and more children and adolescents have been prescribed stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers for various mental disorders, such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The potential side effects that happen to children taking these medications can include: fainting, blurred vision, vomiting, extreme weight gain, and even death ("Seroquel information,” n.d.).
This article connects with other articles because it also highlights how some college students fail to realize the adverse side effects of taking and selling prescription stimulants due to the fact that it is a common practice in their environment, and there is little negative stigma attached to taking pills. The article from the Society for Prevention Research because found that when it comes to college students and drugs, there is a prevalent misuse of prescription stimulants due to dangerous misconceptions of the risks posed by misusing prescription stimulants. This article also gives an example of a study conducted by Amelia Arria in “2006 found that students who perceive prescription stimulants as relatively harmless are ten times more likely to use them than those who think that the drugs are extremely harmful”(Society for Prevention Research, 2008). This relates to the article from the University of South Carolina because they both thoroughly explain how the common misconceptions of prescription stimulants influence the prevalence of college students who misuse them. The article by Christian Teter, Sean McCabe, Kristy LaGrange, James Cranford, and Carol Boyd gives an overview of various reasons why some
It has been said that addiction is the plague of the 21st century. In an age of unprecedented life expectancy and medical breakthroughs, people are dying from both disease and overdose that are self inflicted and the cure is currently out of reach. Implementing progressive ideas such as safe injection sites have been a battle, both for caring social workers and front line emergency workers looking to minimize the health risks associated with risk taking behaviors that inevitably occur with intravenous drug use. While the addicted population currently uses considerable government funding by way of shelter services as well as prison and jail time, safe injection sites are a necessary step in the battle against drug abuse as is a major prevention
Almost everybody on Long Island, and probably all around the world, has been prescribed a drug by a doctor before— whether it was to knock out a nasty virus, or relieve pain post injury or surgery. However, what many people don’t realize is that these drugs can have highly addictive qualities, and more and more people are becoming hooked, specifically teenagers. But when does harmlessly taking a prescription drug to alleviate pain take the turn into the downward spiral of abuse? The answer to that question would be when the user begins taking the drug for the “high” or good feelings brought along with it—certainly not what it was prescribed for (1). The amount of teens that abuse prescription medications has been rapidly increasing in recent
Over the last decade, a new epidemic has risen in America regarding the sustained trend in teens abusing and misusing stimulant drugs prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), specifically Ritalin and Adderall. There has been an increase in the number of teens diagnosed with ADHD and practitioners prescribing stimulants as treatment. These drugs are known in the teen community as the so-called “study drug”. An alarming high percentage of teens that are not diagnosed with ADHD are using this drug in attempt to achieve academic success as well as abusing it for recreational purposes. Due to the increase in teens being diagnosed with ADHD and being prescribed stimulants, the availability of ADHD stimulants has increased and are being abused and misused by other teens. In addition, caregiver’s lax attitudes as well as not supporting school safety prescription policies, has contributed to this disturbing trend in teens misusing and abusing the so-called “Study Drug”.
...f actual reality. They are no longer able to face day to day activities without having that drug in their life.
Her audience is anyone who cares about the world we live in and its long term health. “The world we live in” is a vast category, which includes our entire ecosystem as well as animals and humans. The essay also targets producers and users of chemicals and pesticides used for insect and pest control. In “The Obli...
“The behavior, drug abuse prevention experts say, is notably different from the use of drugs like marijuana or cocaine…The goal for many young adults is not to get high but to feel better - less depressed, less stressed out, more focused, better rested. It is just that the easiest route to that end often seems to be medication for which they do not have a prescription” (Harmon 2005, p.1) According to the Partners...
Drugs are used to escape the real and move into the surreal world of one’s own imaginations, where the pain is gone and one believes one can be happy. People look on their life, their world, their own reality, and feel sickened by the uncaringly blunt vision. Those too weak to stand up to this hard life seek their escape. They believe this escape may be found in chemicals that can alter the mind, placing a delusional peace in the place of their own depression: “Euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly halucinant,” (52). They do this with alcohol, acid, crack, cocaine, heroine, opium, even marijuana for the commoner economy. These people would rather hide behind the haze than deal with real problems. “...A gramme is better than a damn.” (55).
In America, marijuana is the most used drug after alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana is used by millions of Americans, despite the harsh laws illegalizing the drug. Some states, such as Washington and Colorado have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Efforts to legalize the drug in other states have been unsuccessful such as Proposition 19 in California, which failed in 2010 despite uptight campaigns. Billions of dollars are spent at the state, local, and federal level to fight the use of marijuana. Millions are arrested for marijuana offenses and sentenced for extended periods. Marijuana has negative effects on the human health and high potential for addiction. Legalizing marijuana will eliminate the black market, which is responsible for the increase in violence, crime, and corruption. Resources used for mass incarceration in the war on drug can be redirected to rehabilitation to decrease drug abuse and addiction.
In truth, kids who veer into a lifestyle built on something as external and artificial as drugs are defeating their own goals for independence by taking the opposite road - the road to dependance. Young people are more inclined to have drug problems if they have difficulties managing their experiences and emotions, or their confidence and skills can't meet the demands of everyday living. Drug use provided an easy, negative substitute for taking control of one's life in a stressful world.
Teen Drug Use I once read in an article “Some teens use alcohol or drugs to dull the pain in their lives”. When they are given a choice to take something to make them temporarily feel better, many cannot resist” (Look). The use of drugs will [affect] the everyday lives of many teenagers today. Throughout history, more and more teenagers have turned to the use of drugs to help them through their everyday struggles. Many teens often feel as if they cannot deal with the everyday pain they may be going through.
Drug abuse has been a hot topic for our society due to how stimulants interfere with health, prosperity, and the lives of others in all nations. All drugs have the potential to be misapplied, whether obtained by prescription, over the counter, or illegally. Drug abuse is a despicable disease that affects many helpless people. Majority of those who are beset with this disease go untreated due to health insurance companies who neglect and discriminate this issue. As an outcome of missed opportunities of treatments, abusers become homeless, very ill, or even worst, death.
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.