Best strategies for kicking the tobacco habit
An analysis of autopsies in 2007 released this week by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission found that the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined!
The report’s findings track with similar studies by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which has found that roughly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs. If accurate, that would be an increase of 80 percent in six years and more than the total abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants.
Abuse of prescription drugs to get high has become increasingly prevalent especially among teens and young adults. Past year abuse of prescription pain killers now ranks second—only behind marijuana—as the Nation’s most prevalent illegal drug problem.
“Law enforcement officials said that the shift toward prescription-drug abuse, which began here about eight years ago, showed no sign of letting up and that the state must do more to control it. “The abuse has reached epidemic proportions,” said Lisa McElhaney, a sergeant in the pharmaceutical drug diversion unit of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s just explosive.”
Comments From Dr. Esposito
Wow. That is all I can say after reading that article. The United States consumes more drugs than any country in the world and, according to the World Health Organization, we are getting sicker and sicker as a nation each and every year.
We have more drugs in our supermarkets than we have toilet paper and we all…. well, you know where I was going with that. We are teaching our children that there is a drug for every pain and a drug for every mood. Then when our children reach high school we wonder how they got involved in drugs.
We need to teach our children to respect their body’s ability to heal itself by implementing the Five Keys to Health: Proper Sleep, Good Nutrition, Adequate Exercise, Positive Mental Attitude and Optimal Nerve Function. Use these keys and embrace the body’s ability to heal itself and you won’t reinforce the poor health statistics of the United States.
