Addiction is a difficult topic to discuss for many people, both affected and unaffected. It is personal and messy, but it desperately needs to be discussed.

Every family is affected by substance abuse, either directly or indirectly. It is an epidemic on the rise, not a recreational activity limited to the sixties, as many still believe.

It is undeniable that the sixties were a pinnacle for drug culture and encouraged many of the trends that are still occurring today, such as recreational use of marijuana. In fact, by 1969 drug use had infiltrated society so greatly that President Richard Nixon declared a "War on Drugs" to defeat the drugs that he believed were the nation’s “number one enemy.”

Today, however, drug use is still a prevalent issue, but America’s President is not doing much, if anything, about it.
For years, substance abuse has been an issue ‘swept under the rug.’ There are government-funded programs for treatment and recovery, but money alone is not going to help those who are struggling.

According to whitehouse.gov/ondcp, the White House’s official website and stance on drug use in America, President Obama’s plan to battle against substance abuse is $10 billion for drug education programs and making treatment centers more accessible. However, money is not going to solve this issue, as previously stated. The biggest problem is that addicts are being viewed as criminals instead of people suffering with a disease. They are not numbers that need to be reduced, but they are people that need to be helped in their strive for change.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, addiction means ‘the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.’ Notice it does not just say, ‘using drugs and drinking alcohol.’ There are several other forms of addiction such as: addiction to spending, addiction to work, sex addiction, addiction to pornography, addiction to gambling, etc. Anything can become an addiction, so why are drugs and alcohol the most common?

Addiction to drugs and/or alcohol is not an inexpensive habit. However, drugs and alcohol are very easy to come by. Those who are of age can purchase alcohol freely, and come across drugs quite easily. If not illegal drugs, many can turn to prescription drugs, experimenting to see what will get them high. Those who are underage, most commonly 12 to 18, can find drugs and alcohol at parties, from friends, and sometimes even in their school. Drugs and alcohol offer physical comfort and escape, and therefore people crave their company.
In America, the overuse of controversial substances is viewed as an out-of-place, inexcusable act. Former US President Ronald Reagan spoke out on drug use, calling it a “repudiation of everything America is.” These are strong words, which accurately describe the severity of such an issue. Mr. Reagan has a point; America would be much better off if excessive substance abuse did not exist.

According to drugabuse.gov, substance abuse costs our nation more than $484 billion per year. The culmination of cigarettes and tobacco, illegal drugs, and alcohol costs more than the treatment of diabetes and cancer combined (a total $303 billion).

There are many reasons people form addictions to certain substances, and not all addicts are simply ‘rebels without a cause.’ Many who currently suffer experienced some form of abuse in their lifetime. At least two-thirds of patients in drug abuse treatment centers say they were physically or sexually abused as children. Others can be predisposed to addiction through their parents or other genetic components.

It is true, however, that many people become drug or alcohol dependent for seemingly trivial reasons. According to drugfreeworld.org, the top reasons young people take drugs are: to fit in, escape or relax, relieve boredom, seem grown up, rebel, or simply experiment.

Young people, especially between the ages of 12 and 18 experience many problems at home, at school, etc. They take drugs or turn to alcohol because they think it is a solution, but soon the substances become the problem.

In fact, 90 percent of people with addiction involving nicotine, alcohol or other drugs began using these substances before they were 18 years old, according to casacolumbia.org, a website that educates and assists people concerning substance abuse.

Also according to casacolumbia.org, those who begin using addictive substances before the age of 15 are nearly seven times more likely to become addicted than those who do not use them until the age of 21 or older. This is why the current drinking age in America is 21; this is when the brain is fully developed. Using addictive substances before the brain is fully developed is extremely harmful to one’s health.

Most Americans would say that the government has a low tolerance level for ‘druggies’ and ‘drunkards.’ On the news, they see DUI after DUI, and so on.

According to drinkinganddriving.org, a website that educates Americans on how to prevent against drunk drivers, over 140,000 men, women and children have died in America as a result of drunk driving since 2001. In America, on average, nearly 11,000 people die every year in DUI-related accidents, and 33 percent of those arrested for DUI/DWI are repeat offenders.

America has not taken the necessary steps to prevent substance abuse among its citizens, merely to treat it. The US government tosses billions of dollars each year at rehabilitation centers, hoping that this issue will dissipate. Unfortunately, the issue has not dissipated, yet the government has still turned a blind eye.

It is understandable why the government is not utterly concerned about substance abuse. It does not pose a potential threat to the overall wellbeing of America, however it affects so many citizens.

According to drugfree.org, 23 million Americans are currently addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs. Only 10 percent of them (2.6 million) are receiving the proper treatment they need. This means that over 20 million Americans are struggling with the disease of addiction on their own.

Take notice that drug addiction is referred to as a disease. A disease is “an interruption, cessation, or disorder of a body, system, or organ structure/function,” according to Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. Addiction most definitely falls into this category. If more of America’s society could see that addiction is a treatable, preventable disease, their new mindset would open a world of possibility for recovering addicts everywhere.

Substance abuse is a problem, everyone can agree, but in the same way money cannot cure a cold, it cannot cure addiction. Change begins in the mind, both for society and addicts alike, but it will take time. Abstinence based recovery is always the best option for recovering addicts, and society needs to follow that pattern by abstaining from the thought that all addicts are all. Some are, undoubtedly, but many are sick and struggling citizens just looking for hope.

This does not mean addicts should be given any slack. Those who harm others still need to be held completely responsible. Also, many of those who struggle will refuse treatment; it cannot be forced on anyone. All that society can do is offer treatment and compassion to people who have drug problems and have admitted their need for assistance. This is the only possible way America will witness a significant decline of intoxicant presence among its citizens.