Has America become a nation full of addicts? In today’s current generation everyone’s addicted, from the abuse of prescription medication to the use of social media. The human brain is susceptible to addiction very easily. Addiction is what drives people to make decisions, it alters a person’s behavior based on a developed dependence to a certain substance or thing. Nothing is worse on a country’s’ society than a people who’ve growingly become reliant. America as a whole needs to work on fixing its major 3 issues with addiction, from its growing drug problem, its social media issue with young adults, and its obesity epidemic.
Firstly in defense to counter claims, not everyone’s addiction is such a bad thing, like being addicted to working out or by being dedicated to a certain sport or activity. Those addictions better ones self, it is okay if a person is moderately driven by self-benefit. Another argument that can be made against America’s social media and obesity problem is that Americans have the freedom to do whatever they want, if the people want to eat as much as they want and use their phones all day because they can then that should be allowed because there is no law in place to prohibit that.
Americans should be able to appreciate their blessing, for example “… estimates that about 795 million people of the 7. 3 billion people in the world, or one in 9, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-2016. Almost all the hungry people, 780 million, live in developing countries” (“Hunger Notes”, par. 6). Having the ability to be able to choose what one wants to eat for every meal of the day is a gift whether it may seem like it or not, many other people in the world are much less fortunate. It also isn’t a crime to order fast food from time to time, it can be convenient when in a hurry.
As for technology, cellphones and other technological advancements should be taken advantage of, as they are privileges due to decades of inventor’s trial and error. In just a few years the transformation of the land line telephone to the modern smartphone is amazing to say the least. Even social media has some useful benefits, for example “Social media allows people to improve their relationships and make new friends… 72% of all teens connect with friends via social media. 83% of these teens report that social media helps them feel more connected to information about their friends’ lives. (“Social Networking”, par. 4)
As true as this all may be, if left unchecked, one can slowly become dependent to these freedoms. For the betterment of the future society, these liberties should be taken in moderation. Fast food consumption must be greatly reduced and the phones should be put down from time to time. To begin with, a major addiction problem in America is drug abuse, such as marijuana, prescription pills, injections, etc. This growing addiction has greatly impacted the safety of this, once clean, country.
For example “In the United States alone, substance addictions cost the government over 200 billion USD each year. ” (“The Impacts”, par. 1). Based on this fact it is evident that drug abuse has gotten out of hand, it leads to crime, abuse, job loss, and possibly even homelessness. Another prime example of the drug addiction crisis, “Around 80% of prisoners incarcerated since 1985 are there because of a drug related offence. ” (“The Impacts”, par 5). The second highest cause of accidental death in America is by the overdose of prescribed medication.
It is tragic to say that because of years of this growing problem, it has all become the norm, which is unacceptable. America also suffers greatly from its addiction to its media, or more specifically social media. Social media is highly addictive especially for the youth of America, teenagers. It decreases productivity and causes people to block out or ignore the real world they live in. People rely on their phones for just about everything and it has come to the point where nearly everyone would be lost if they were to lose their smartphone or computer.
An article on social networking by ProCon. org records “Social media enables the spread of unreliable and false information. 64% of people who use twitter for news say that they have encountered something they “later discovered wasn’t true”. ” (“Social Networking”, par 1). A society that is bound to the reliability of their electronic device will only ever be as smart as their device, as long as it’s always reachable. Not to mention the fact that because of people’s view of importance on social media, people, especially teens, have come to the point where all that matters is how others view them.
It’s almost as though they put on a mask to impress strangers. Although it has the word “social” in its name, social media addiction leads to self seclusion, people spend less time talking face-to-face and more time staring at screens. While it may not seem as such a big issue in its comparison, another growing addiction that is a struggle with the average American is obesity and America’s addiction to food. America’s unhealthy eating habits and complete lack of self discipline have lead them down the road of gluttony, and it has now become normal to be overweight.
For example in an article called Addict Nation it is documented that: “our country is suffering from a mind blowing obesity crisis. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. It would be safe to say obesity is our nations biggest health issue. Due to America’s excessive desire for fast junk food, it is eventually leading to the early deaths of people by increased heart disease and blood pressure issues. If America is to continue its cycle of unhealthy food consumption the future can and will only get worse.
These are all troubling addictions that are leading to the destruction of America’s society, but there is still hope. Thankfully even though America is a nation that needs some work, its problems are still fixable, habits can be broken and people can change. If these addictive habits are stopped, America could begin to head in a positive direction. The world would see a great change in violence, health, and intellect statistics. People of all ages would notice an overall positive shift in the nation and America would become a more safe, respectable place to live in once again.
It is important to set an example for the country’s youth so that these issues would hopefully be corrected in the countries near future. Before America can begin to change, citizens must first recognize the destructive path that they’re on. Acceptance of ones addiction is the first official step to recovery. The key to a successful change in addictive habits is simply moderation. A small limitation on what people eat on a day-to-day basis, and on how long people use social media each day. The great nation of America has been turned into a spoiled land filled with addiction and it must not stay that way.
Although the individual issues may seem small, altogether they’ve created a major impact on this country. One could argue that this country isn’t as bad as it may seem, but the facts are there to prove it. America is on a self-destructive path. Addiction can only stop by one’s own personal decision to help themselves. It could be debated that simply being addicted to a phone or even just having the desire to eat more than necessary isn’t as bad as having a form of drug addiction. But in regards to mental and long-term physical health it is very important, America must get back on track.
America is a nation full of addicts; it’s pretty ironic that the world’s most free nation is the one most bound by bad habits, prisoners due to a lack of self-control. If America was to ever grow better it must first start with the people’s want for a change. If citizens were to gain the self-discipline to control or end their want, the nation would surely see a great change. But if not it’s unlikely the future will ever improve. What needs to be remembered is that nobody should have to feel the weight of addiction on their life. There is always a way to be free from it, it just takes effort.
