When I was in the first grade, I was diagnosed with ADHD. Although I don’t remember the exact drug, I was given a prescription similar to Adderall in order to compensate for my lack of attention. In the end, the drug I was prescribed ended up being the main source of my problems.

After being giving the drug, I was more erratic than before. Even though I had some trouble paying attention before I was medicated, I couldn’t even sit still, let alone pay attention during class. To add to my extreme inattention, the drug also took away my sense of judgment, so I had difficulty interacting with others and staying out of trouble.

The drug that I was prescribed completely engulfed my life from my first year of school until I was in the sixth grade. Looking back at that hyperactive chapter of my life, I realize that I didn’t need the medication to compensate for my ADHD. Instead of extensive time with teachers after school, or even being given a tutor, the doctor put me on the medication, a move that cost me five years of my childhood. My years of being strung out on a medication that was ultimately not needed has opened my eyes to how drug-prone our society really is.

Whenever a minor health problem occurs, whether it be a sore elbow, a mild case of anxiety, or just a common cold, how often are drugs used as an immediate solution? Think about it; whenever these slight problems occur, the first solution is usually to take some sort of prescription that can cure the pain, the mental anguish, or the sneezing.

There are so many healthier and more cost efficient ways to deal with health problems in place of medication. Instead of taking a painkiller to fix up the sore arm, why not try stretches or icing? Instead of taking an antidepressant, how about talking to a counselor or practicing meditation in order to cure the feelings of anxiety? Instead of pounding both Dayquil and Nyquil every day until the cold is gone, what about drinking tea and using a humidifier to kill the cold?

Although many people think of drug dependency as being addicted to a life-destructing narcotic, this isn’t the truth. America as a nation is dependent on drugs, and it is all given to us by doctors who see medicine as an easy and effective cure. It’s a practice that turns us into a strung-out nation. Even now I am taking a medication in order to help me with my anxiety. It has helped immensely but, if I haven’t taken the medication for a few days, I become extremely irritable and tense. It saddens me to think that I have become dependent on a drug that was prescribed to me by a professional, but it also fills me with fear to think about not being on the drug, solidifying my dependence to the medication.

As a nation, we depend so much on medication. What would it be like, if only for a moment, to take the time to consider the alternatives to our side-effect ridden drugs?