Our Society and Drug Use With drug use becoming more and more common in our society, people are starting to look deeper into the reasons why people use drugs. Drugs are everywhere, in every community. According to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World; an estimated 208 million people internationally consume illegal drugs. What about the legal ones? Prescription drugs are being abused today more than ever before. Drugs do not discriminate against age, race, financial status, location, and etcetera. There are no simple answers. There are many reasons why drugs are so common in our society today. First of all, peer pressure is a huge factor in temptations to experiment with drugs. No one wants to be the only one not participating, or to be left out. Peer pressure happens in every high school and middle school in the country, and is pretty much a part of growing up. Young people are being exposed to drugs earlier than ever before. This often makes it very difficult to go against the group and stand up for your own beliefs. People tell others “everyone is doing it” or “how much fun they had getting high” or “how great the drugs made them feel”, pretty much anything to entice them into trying drugs. Teens and young adults are especially vulnerable because they think drug use can be easily controlled. It is just an experiment, right? They do not look past the party to see how things could turn out. Before they know it, they are addicted, and moving on to more powerful drugs to get a more intense high. No, I am not saying that everyone who tries or experiments with drugs will become an addict, but this is how all addicts start out. Also, people with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses use drugs to self-medicate symptoms, and ease their suffering. Mental illness is a huge burden, and people will try anything to relieve the pain. Mental illness can be scary for the person dealing with it. Some individuals are afraid or embarrassed to seek help for their mental illness and often turn to drugs as a way to escape. Drugs can temporarily make a person feel ‘normal’. They do not realize that the drugs are making the symptoms of mental illness worse. When the high is gone; the symptoms will return and the viscous cycle will start all over. Soon, they are taking higher and higher doses or seeking stronger drugs to achieve that same relieve as before. Furthermore, drug use has been popularized by music and mass media since the 1960’s. Mainstream media talks about drugs a lot, and that tends to desensitize people to the issues of drug use. The entertainment world is often guilty of making drug use look cool and exciting. Entertainment and music is full of drug references and that can add to the rationalization that drug use is ok sometimes. The media may promote drugs as being a great social activity, a way to be successful, or a way to lose weight. This affects how people see the issue, even if it is subconsciously. Oftentimes people think of musicians and actor/actresses as role models. These individuals want to be just like their role models; if that includes drug use, then that makes it ok, right? There are numerous reasons why people use drugs, but the main reason is because they like the way it makes them feel. While some individuals are aware that what they are doing to themselves is harmful, others may not be. People think that drugs will solve their problems. But, eventually the drugs become the problem. As a society we should all take drug use very seriously because whether we choose to believe so or not, it affects all of us in some way or another. Society itself makes some believe that drug use is acceptable. If you or someone you know uses drugs; seek help right away. It is never too late.