Prescription drugs are abused in our society and there are better alternatives. 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. 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 to both illegal and legal drugs, whether that is cold medicine, over the counter painkillers, sedatives, or the most illegal drugs like heroine. The entertainment industry has a lot to do with teens having the idea that using drugs is normal. For example, turn on the radio in your car. When I turn on the radio to popular music stations I hear songs with the lyrics like, “poppin’ pills is all we know” (Travis Scott) or “always tryna send me off to rehab, drugs started feelin’ life it’s decaf” (The Weeknd). I am sure you’re also familiar with these catchy tunes. All around me I hear teens listening to these types of drug related songs by artists they look up to. Listening to these songs seems like a normal part of their day. But hearing these lyrics on a daily basis makes this behavior seem normal; of course these attitudes are quite the opposite. …show more content…
Knowing information about the medicine you are taking and the alternatives to that medication is important so that people pick the healthier route. Additionally, when a doctor hands you a prescription it is also important to think about their motivation for doing so. Is the doctor being rewarded financially or is this medicine actually the most effective way to rid my uncomfortable ailment? We all want to live the longest we can and putting chemicals into your body will not always give you the longest and healthiest
Prescription and pharmaceutical drug abuse is beginning to expand as a social issue within the United States because of the variety of drugs, their growing availability, and the social acceptance and peer pressure to uses them. Many in the workforce are suffering and failing at getting better due to the desperation driving their addiction.
The United States of America accounts for only 5% of the world’s population, yet as a nation, we devour over 50% of the world’s pharmaceutical medication and around 80% of the world’s prescription narcotics (American Addict). The increasing demand for prescription medication in America has evoked a national health crisis in which the government and big business benefit at the expense of the American public.
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
In the United States, health insurance has been a way to cover insured individuals medical cost. The coverage of insurance depends on the type of health insurance plan an individual has. Each insurance plan varies, and one of the coverages that insurance plans offer is prescription drugs. The cost of prescription drugs, depends on which health insurance plan you have. If an individual does not have health insurance, paying for a prescription drug will be an out-of-pocket cost and cost will vary for those who have health insurance. One of the issues that have been arising in the United States is Prescription drug usage. Many patients are abusing their prescription health insurance coverage and it is affecting their health come. Some of the prescriptions
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In the United States of America, people view health care as a product to be bought and sold. Therefore, anyone who could not avail the health care would not have any coverage. Without any form of health care, someone could not achieve their outstanding potential when sick. United States has spent so much money in trying to make this country as one of the best in the world. There is economic growth if the health of the citizenry is safeguarded. In this nation that is known for its wealth, it is very ironic to find people without proper insurance due to high cost and therefore are denied health care (Bergen, Fultz, Kessie, & Osburn, 2015). Society is denying them the right to live. Butts & Rich (2005) stated that in order to achieve social
The United States of America is supposed to be the greatest nation on earth. We are supposed to celebrate freedom and praise equality. We are all supposed to have the opportunity to live a nice, long, wonderful life.There are quite a few problems that make the above difficult, to say the least.
The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such. Not to mention the fact that the doctors who prescribe these opioids often tend to misuse them as well. Abusing these prescribed drugs can “destroy dreams and abort great destinies," and end the possibility of the abuser to have a positive impact in the community.
Everyday people are peer pressured and influenced into multiple unhealthy behaviors. Acts such smoking, alcoholism, and unprotected intercourse are frequent issues in any lifestyle. Friends, family, and especially the media have a way of twisting a person’s mindset into believing these unhealthy choices are safe. Currently, the most reoccurring phenomenon is issues with drugs. More often than not, there are reports on people misusing and abusing drugs, particularly celebrities and athletes.
For most people, the initial decision to take prescription drugs is voluntary. Over a period of time, however, changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse affect a person's self control and ability to make sound decisions. While this is going on, the person continues to experience intense impulses to take more drugs.
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.
Central Idea: Prescription drugs can cause serious mental and physical health problems if they are taken incorrectly or abused.
In addition, having an affordable health insurance plan will prevent and control chronic diseases. A chronic disease is one lasting three months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear. According to Chronic Diseases Control and Prevention, chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and arthritis are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Uninsured people receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced stages of the disease, and receive less treatment as measured in terms of pharmaceutical and surgical interventions
Users who abuse drugs by prescription improperly use them by taking somebody else 's prescription, taking medication to get high, or taking medication in other ways than applied
People think they know all the effects and reasons of why teenagers do drugs, but do they really? The very first day drugs were introduced was the day Columbus first stepped onto the U.S., when the Native Americans first offered tobacco to the newcomers. Drugs came again in the 1850’s, when the Chinese first came to work in the mines and on the railroads, they brought opium smoking with them and later started addicting the people of America. Once the extremely debilitating power of addicting drugs was recognized, many American cities and states, starting with San Francisco, began passing anti-drug laws in 1875. By the 1960’s, the great majority of Americans had forgotten the lessons of the first drug epidemic, and the use of drugs grew over time. Susan Erasmus says in her article "Why Do Teens Take Drugs?": “Studies have shown that there are more teens than ever before are taking drugs and the age at which kids start taking drugs is getting smaller and smaller each day” (2). Teen drugs are a huge problem in America considering: how good it makes them feel, why teens take them, the effects of taking the drugs, and a solution to help stop teen drug use.