Let's face it, there are a TON of drugs out there. Some are pretty common and harmless like ibuprofen or NyQuil, but then there are some that really make you want to roll your eyes. But people still buy into their "health benefits" and decide that those drugs that will make life that much better.
I'm just going to come right out and say it: America uses too many drugs. It's like we can't go a day without popping the newest joint pain reliever.
In 2008, Americans spent $234.1 million on prescription drugs. That's double of what we spent in 1999! Think of all the money we could save if we cut even a quarter of what we're spending now.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't use drugs, because some people have to; it's inevitable. It's not like the world is perfect and our bodies never get sick. But we have to draw the line like when college students abuse Adderall to study for tough classes, or when teenagers are getting prescribed opioids for pain relief.
Many of the problems that drugs are solving could be solved instead by a change in the person's lifestyle. Take cholesterol-lowering drugs: I'm not saying that every single person who takes some form of this drug should go and flush it down the toilet. Instead, they could maybe cut down on the red meat and possibly go for a walk. Just a small change in their life, as simple as choosing chicken over beef could make a huge difference in the long run.
It's not just the patient's fault. It's partially the doctor's too. There are some doctors that just throw a drug to their patient to fix the patient's problem for now. For example, lately there has been an increase in the diagnosis of children with ADHD. There is no true test for ADHD and since there's room for human error and since we do not live in a perfect world, there are going to be misdiagnoses. (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/adhd-misdiagnoses-identified-study/story?id=11418898)
Now there is no perfect solution to this problem. It's not like depressed people can press the "be happy now" button or insomniacs are going to magically fall asleep at the right time, but we need to think before we go and decide a drug will solve our problems. Maybe instead of throwing back the NyQuil the minute your throat tickles, you could try drinking tea and/or make sure you're getting enough Vitamin C. In the end, we have to think about what's going on before we decide to go throw some drug at it.
