I keep reading stories about the vast number of people addicted to prescription drugs.  To be honest, it's not surprising in the least.  We as humans are great at finding ways to enjoy ourselves while simultaneously destroying our bodies. 

But I think it also has something to do with the plethora of billion-dollar drug companies in our country and their legitimate desire to make money.  Companies exist to make a profit, and drug companies happen to do that by inventing drugs.  The problem is, I think their practices are sometimes a little questionable, especially since they're leveraging peoples' health for a profit.  Plus, their advertising is a little overboard.  Walk into any doctor's office in the country; what do you see?  Pens, pads, clipboards, magnets, clocks, and a host of other objects with prescription drug advertising on them.  While these objects are generally trivial and are used merely for promotion and marketing, it's naive to think a doctor can be completely neutral when they're obviously so heavily influenced by drug companies.  In addition to the marketing materials, doctors get all kinds of free samples.  I know this because I've been given a free sample in lieu of a prescription.  I appreciated it because it saved me some money, but it scared me because of how simple it was to obtain. 

Another problem is that doctors have an eager willingness to push pills.  The main reason I hate going to doctors is because they always focus on the symptoms and never on the problem.  Symptoms can be easily eliminated with drugs, and that's what doctors try to give me.  "I'll just give you a cortisone injection and then a prescription for pain killers."  No, idiot, I said my shoulder hurts, which means I should stretch it and exercise, not fill my body with pills so I won't feel any more pain.  I find it hard to believe doctors don't receive some sort of kickback for so readily pushing pills. 

Perhaps it has something to do with many Americans' mindset that simply seeks a quick fix.  They want a drug to lower their cholesterol so they don't have to change their diet.  They want a pill to make them feel better after they get drunk so they can continue getting drunk.  But I also have a hard time believing the overabundance of pills is entirely due to human stupidity and greed. 

I think the cause of prescription drug addiction is some sort of combination of the three:  People are human, humans are stupid, drug companies want money, and doctors want money too. #health