In an earlier blog, I talked about how people use alcohol to help with their grief. They use this to try and make themselves feel better and forgot about what is bothering them. But alcohol isn’t the only thing that people use when trying to mask their pain. Another thing people do is turn to drugs. According to the president for the Institute for Behavior and Health, prescription drugs are the most widely abused drugs out there. “In 2008, over six million persons, or 2.5% of the U.S. population aged 12 and older, reported past 30-day use of prescription- type psychotherapeutic drugs for nonmedical purposes” (DuPont, 2). Of course not all these people are using these drugs for dealing with their grief but the number is still staggering. By taking these drugs, just like with the alcohol, the person is able to put the pain and grief behind them. For a short period of time they are able to forget about it all. But this is not an effective way to deal with grief. Once it’s all over, they will have all the pain and grief back. There are also lots of hazardous long term effects of prescription drug abuse. Not to mention that it can be deadly. There are lots of other, better ways of dealing with grief. Talking to friends, talking to family or even seeing a therapist are all much better alternatives.
DuPont, Robert L. "Prescription Drug Abuse: An Epidemic Dilemma." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 42.2 (2010): 127-32. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2011.
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