Constantly societal standards tell us the do’s and don’ts of living: “Don’t smoke, you’ll get cancer!”, “Don’t drink, you’ll become an alcoholic!” and, “Whatever you do, don’t do drugs; they’re just plain evil!” The ironic thing is, what society tells us to do, whether it be through television, radio broadcasts, or a close friend, is often what leads people to do these things. A high education, strong work ethic, and just the overall image of today’s go go lifestyle are often what prompt people to do drugs, drink, or smoke. Even if not in the conventional way, more and more people are turning to drugs for the answer. These drugs aren’t bad though, they’re your friends. Anti-depressants, energy drinks, and diet supplements are only a few of these good drugs.
Smoking is one thing, it practically guarantees you a one way ticket to cancer, emphysema, or at the very least a horrid cough. But, prozac for instance, has none of these side-effects, right? Wrong, very wrong. These drugs that give us energy, make us feel better, or help us conform to unrealistic societal standards of beauty can be just as bad. For one, everything from an early morning cup of joe to an over-the-counter sleep aid can be very addictive. That’s not to mention the positively mentioned side effects like high blood pressure, stroke, or my personal favorite, sudden death which are mentioned at the end of every commercial for these drugs which help us cope with busy living.
Whether a man’s depressed because of a bad break up or a woman can’t sleep due to a rigorous work schedule, the answer is just a trip to the drug store away. Just because these drugs don’t come with a surgeon general’s warning or the barista at your local Starbucks doesn’t “card you” before your triple americano doesn’t mean that legal drugs are any safer an alternative. Wearing a suit while downing pain killers doesn’t sanctify an addiction, a vice, a drug, it only masks it. Can you blame the single mom on anti depressants, or the UPS guy on pain meds though? No, of course not, they’re not smoking or drinking.
The list goes on and on. In modern times you can’t even turn on the TV without diagnosing yourself with some ridiculous disorder and paying a huge mark up for some drug. “Do you sometimes feel restless?” drop the TV dinner, that’s you, and you need to be medicated. For the love of god though, don’t turn to Marijuana, only Jamaicans and hobos smoke that stuff. What you need is something from a doctor. God only knows how people handled an 8 hour work day, soccer practice, and still made time for post-grad work before there was a Starbucks on every corner! Oh, wait, they didn’t have to. Before,, people actually only put what they could handle on their plate.
My point is only this: modern times are stressful, and can drive people to abuse all types of substances, whether they be over the counter or from seven eleven. If i could, i’d make things less stressful, but it seems society’s content with paying off student loans while working all the time and having a baby sitter raise their kids. If that’s how people want to live, fine. But me, i think i actually want some time to enjoy the sunset, pet my cat, or hell, maybe just lie in the grass. But hey, society disagrees, so let’s all down an espresso and get to work. All i ask is that before you judge the loser smoking outside at Starbucks, you take a look in your medicine cabinet.
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