Why are we a drug-obsessed nation?

Not many people would be surprised to find that drug abuse is on the increase, but they may be surprised to find that the increase is not in illegal drug abuse but pharmaceutical drug abuse.

Emergency room visits have increased 110% over the last 5 years, due to prescription drug abuse. These visits are either for overdoses or excuses to get drugs refilled. Ten years ago, emergency room visits were for heroine abuse and other illegal drugs. Today, these visits are for Oxycodone, Hydrocodone and Hydrocodone abuse. There are also many other prescription drugs, such as antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs.

Today, it is a popular practice for children in high school and college to take prescription drugs to help them study and focus. Some of these prescriptions are for Addeall and Xanax. Some young people are having teeth pulled and wisdom teeth extracted just so they can get a pain prescription.

DAWN (drug abuse warning network) reports that illegal drug abuse is still a problem including cocaine and marijuana, but the focus is definitely turning to the problem of prescription drugs.

Nearly 1.5 million visits to the ER were related to drug abuse last year. About 36 percent of these visits involved a combination of illicit drugs, alcohol and pharmaceuticals. It seems that people find that one drug just doesn’t give them the feeling they desire anymore. They take more and more different types, which then interact, cause problems and sometimes death.

Our nation is obsessed with “feeling good” and “forgetting our problems”. It makes us wonder why we are so stressed and unhappy in a nation that appears to have everything.