Is America playing into the hands of big pharma? According to the latest statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), prescription drugs have officially become the drugs of choice among America's youth. Why has prescription drug addiction and abuse become such a problem? And what can you do about it?
Drug abuse will always be a problem. Even if we lived in a Utopia, which we definitely don't, some people would be unhappy or stressed about life and would want to escape. However, drugs would be much less of a problem if we made the following changes.
Direct to consumer advertising is one of the first things that has to go. Drug ads on TV and in magazines promote the use of drugs, that's the long and short of it. And because it appears to be legitimate - you get the drugs from the doctor - you go for it. If big pharma was not presenting drugs as the answer to our problems, we would try to address them some other way. We'd have no choice; since we wouldn't be fed the solution, we'd have to come up with alternatives. Instead, we go for the easier, and very acceptable solution of taking a drug, and many wind up with a prescription drug addiction problem in the process.
For those who do have to take drugs to make life bearable - those suffering from chronic debilitating pain that has not resolved with other treatment, for example - make sure your drugs are kept out of the reach of others. They should be locked up, and the key should be on you at all times. You should also explain your situation to your kids so they know exactly why you're taking them, and you should also make sure they understand the drugs are a last resort and that taking them otherwise is undesirable. They should also be taught about prescription drug addiction in no uncertain terms, and be made aware of their dangers.
Parents should pay more attention to their kids' lives. It's been proven that kids whose parents talk to them about the dangers of drugs and alcohol are 50% less likely to use them. Research has also shown than kids whose parents participate in their lives - their school, their sports, their interests - are less likely to get involved in drugs. Also, eating dinner together a few times a week is pivotal. Believe it or not, that alone could stop your kids from taking drugs. Prescription drug addiction and abuse is rampant with young people and, sooner or later, your kid is going to be offered some. Having a strong family and having been educated on the dangers of drugs may well be the factors that govern whether your kid will say yes or no.
Prescription drug addiction is a greater problem than street drugs ever were. They are socially acceptable, are easily accessed just by going to the household medicine cabinet - if not yours, certainly your neighbor's - and they come from a doctor (doctors don't hurt people, right?). These factors have contributed to make prescription drugs the drugs of choice, and millions are risking prescription drug addiction because of them.
If someone you care about has a problem with prescription drug addiction or abuse, get them into a drug addiction treatment center as soon as possible. Of all the drugs they could take, these are among the most dangerous - contrary to what big pharma would have you believe.
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