Prescription Substance Abuse

The United States represents 5 percent of the world’s population yet it consumes 75 percent of the world’s prescription drugs. A prescription drug is a medicine crafted by pharmaceutical companies that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, Illegal drugs are obtained unlawfully through undocumented transaction. Due to substance abuse these prescription and illicit drugs combined, kill tens of thousands of people each year. The three mainly abused types of prescription drugs are opioids, depressants, and stimulants. These 3 types all have something in common and that is, that they are all widely used and incredibly addictive. Opioids are usually given after surgery is performed due to serious pain. Stimulants are meant to speed up the activities in the body by enhancing alertness, concentration, and energy.
Both prescription and illicit drugs have side effects and these effects can sometimes be very detrimental. It is the doctor’s job to decide whether the benefits outweigh the risk for side effects. Drug abuse is highly common among teenagers. The consequences of abuse can lead to addiction and can be very dangerous to one's mental, physical, and financial state. Another danger is the notion that street drugs are seen as dirty drugs while prescriptions are seen as healthier cleaner drugs because they are regulated. This misguides many people who are then taken advantage of by pharmaceutical companies because of the easy access to these powerful drugs due to part-time professional drug