I am not aware how many people at my age (22) have been affected by drug addiction. The lecture that was given a few weeks ago by Professor Peterson really gave me some good insight as to how so many of my friends while I was growing up became addicted to drugs. As of right now, 7 people I regularly interacted with while growing up have lost their lives to drugs; while a good number of them are still to this day addicts or (on a better note) recovering addicts.
I never understood addiction from the scientific or psychological standpoint. Now that I do, I still have lingering questions of whether or not the emotional effects of the environment surrounding these people I care about could be a cause for the use of drugs in the first place. The question of whether the somewhat premature economy and environment in the state of Utah has something to do with the high rate of drug addiction that exists there is a question that is highly popular among many residents.
Drug addiction is something I feel strongly about simply because I believe it is important for us as the next generation to be aware of in times of economic turmoil. With all the stimulation that is formulated from technology and other changing environmental factors, our generation does feel and our children to come will feel a lot of pressure to be successful and turn our economy around. It is up to us to be educated, aware, move forward, and flourish in the rapidly changing world.
I have attached a URL to a video clip that was made about the astonishingly high drug addiction statistics in Utah. The man that started the process of making this movie and the organization that would follow the release of this movie was from my hometown and attended the same high school as me. He suffered from drug addiction and nearly died from overdose. His family was told he would be a vegetable if he survived. He has made full recovery and has dedicated his life to helping those with addiction problems.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUi-KUnsALc
Drug addiction is something very very close to me as well. My husband's brothers are both addicted to drugs and it kills me because they are nice guys when they are sober, but I can't trust them with my kids because when they are on their drugs because they are so unpredictable. His brothers won't do anything like that around me because they respect him and I enough. I hope one day that they both can get away from it all and recover, but I can also see them losing their lives to it before their time.