Past_and_Current_Trend_Paper

The manipulation of drugs goes far back to 4000 B.C. The American society has been familiar with drugs since 1700’s. Drugs back then were mainly used for medical and therapeutic purpose, but, there were no knowledge of any addictive characteristics. The trends with these drugs have changed constantly throughout the years with the results that has been influenced by the American society. The soldiers of the Civil War was given morphine as an anesthetic for pain without realizing the addiction. It brings. John Pemberton the founder of Coca-Cola, this bevage had caffeine and cocaine in it. In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug act required a list of all ingredients on the package so it can be seen by the consumer and by doing this, the cocaine was removed from the beverage and removed from a lot of other products. Alcohol and drugs was not just used for medical issues, they were also used inappropriately. Back in the 70’s drugs were very popular in the American society. That was the time for love, drugs and rebellion. Also in that era AIDS and HIV was wide spread. Everyone was using dirty needles to inject their drugs and everyone had unprotected sex when they were on drugs. In many ways American Culture has encouraged the use and abuse of drugs in so many ways. Now alcohol has been around for centuries and all the cultures drink and some people like the effects that alcohol gives them, some funny and violent. Alcohol is also known to be the social beverage and not just with the Americans but with all other countries. Many social gatherings use alcohol. According to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (2008), advertisers spent more than two billion dollars on alcohol in 2005. This includes television, radio and printed media. Men tend to drink more the women and it shows in all the advertisements that are towards men, sports figures and pretty women on their side. According to Maxwell (2006), “Emergency department visits involving non-medical use of pharmaceuticals usually involve multiple drugs as well as alcohol.” The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN ED) reported in 2004 that over a million visits to the emergency room were drug related due to misuse and patients between the ages of “ 21 and 54 had the highest rates of emergency department visits for reported drugs” (Maxwell, 2006). Many health problems in the United States exist and can be attributed to drug abuse. Prescription and over the counter drugs is a rising trend for illegal use. It is also so easy for teenagers to get their hands on. Cough syrup and some prescription a medication gives that high feeling of euphoria. The most popular prescription is opioids Vicodin and OxyContin, benzodiazepines like Xanaz and stimulants like Ritalin. Even though many drugs have legitimate purposes such as medicinal purposes, these same drugs can create life threatening problems when abused. Stimulants increase the heart rate and blood pressure and can be the cause of insomnia. When an abuser stops using stimulants, withdrawal symptoms can include depression and irritability. Depressants create a feeling of disorientation in the user, along with dizziness or drowsiness. Depressants can become deadly when mixed with alcohol. Withdrawal from depressants can create convulsions, anxiety, and insomnia and can lead to death. Narcotics are used for sedation and when abused can damage the respiratory and cardiovascular systems (Carroll, 2000). Reference: Carroll, C. (2000). Drugs in Modern Society (5th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.. UCSC AOD Abuse Prevention Program (2006). Alcohol and other drug abuse prevention program. Retrieved April 15, 2007, from http://www2.ucsc.edu/aod/index.html Staff (2007, October 7). Crack vs powder cocaine: a gulf in penalties. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from http://politics.usnews.com/news/