Drug Overuse 1 Nowadays,
millions of people misuse and even overuse pain medications and other drugs.
Research by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA, 1999)shows that
around 2% of the population over age 12 were using drugs
non-medically. 2 NIDA views medications as a powerful force for
good in the contemporary world. They reduce and remove pain for millions of
people suffering from illness and disease. They make it possible for doctors to
perform complicated surgery to save lives. Many people afflicted by serious
medical conditions are able to control their symptoms and be come active,
contributing citizens. NIDA points out that most individuals who take these
drags use them in a responsible. 3 Nevertheless, overuse of
drugs such as opioids, central nervous system(CNS) depressants and stimulants
does lead to harmful reliance in some people and is therefore becoming a serious
public health concern. Although this abuse affects many people worldwide,
particular trends of concern to the medical profession in the US appear among
older adults, teenagers arid women. 4 Though it may be a
surprise to many, the misuse of medications may be the most common form of drug
abuse among the elderly. Dr Kenneth Schrader of Duke University, North Carolina
states that al though the elderly represent about 13% of the US population,
those aged 65 and over account for the consumption of one third of all drugs.
People in this age group use medications roughly three times more than the
general population and have poorer compliance with instruction for use. In
another study of elderly patients admitted to treatment programs, 70% were women
who had overused medicines. 5 Unfortunately, this trend among
women does not only affect those aged over. In general, among women and men who
are using either an anti-anxiety drug or a sedative, women are twice as likely
to become addicted. In addition, statistics compiled for 12-17 year olds show
that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to begin overusing
psychotherapeutic medication such as painkillers, tranquillizers, stimulants and
sedatives. A. Drug overuse and its consequence
B. The problem of drug overuse in America C. Benefits of
medicine and its wise use D. Female drug overuse with reference
to that of males E. Misuse of medicine among the young
generation F. Improper use of medicine among senior
citizens Paragraph 2______