Is There Anybody Out There. Drug Abuse Is A Major Problem

Is There Anybody Out There? Drug abuse is a major problem in the United States and throughout the world as more and more people become addicted every day. As Maia Salavitz points out, â€Å"Addiction is one of the most serious health problems we face today, and as of 2010, more than 23 million people have an addiction to drugs, and according to the National Institutes of Health, these addictions contribute to more than 100,000 deaths per year.† When you hear the words drug addict you think of a â€Å"junkie† or â€Å"crack head†, and when you see someone pan handling for money on the street, passed out, or swaying in a doorway you wonder why don’t they get help? Through my research, I hope to show what barriers people face when trying to seek the†¦show more content†¦According to results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 2.4 million Americans used prescription drugs non-medically for the first time within the past year, which avera ges to approximately 6,600 initiates per day. This population would seek help if not for the fear and shame they feel about being labeled as a drug addict. These stigmas perpetuated by people believing that addiction is a character flaw or a sign of weakness can create such fear in a person that they won’t ever get the help they need. They worry about losing their jobs or family so opt to go without treatment despite the consequences to their health, which could even lead to death. In the â€Å"Addiction† article published by the Gale group it states that â€Å"According to the CDC, in 2013 more than sixteen thousand people died from prescription opioids, an increase of 50 percent in three years.† Addiction does not discriminate; it makes no distinction between a person’s age, sex, color, or financial situation. However, the fear one gets does and the stigma of addiction leaves many Americans unwilling to fund better treatment. Insurance plays a major role in whether or not a person can be treated for addiction. Even when insurance does cover treatment, there might not be an available treatment center or provider to help with your needs. An article written by Brandy Pugh in the National Center onShow MoreRelatedDrug Addiction : Today s Society945 Words   |  4 PagesDrug addiction is one major problem in today’s society. Really, every country faces such issues today. 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