The misuse of prescription drugs is the leading cause of deaths by drug overdose, outnumbering the amount of deaths from both cocaine and heroin (“Policy Impact”). In a time span of only ten years, the milligram-per-person use of prescription drugs in the United States increased from 74 milligrams to 369 milligrams, a staggering 402% increase (Barnes). In the novel, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley illustrates a society that is dependent upon drugs to stimulate euphoric feelings. Huxley’s vision of the pursuit of happiness through drugs, in his science fiction dystopian novel, is very close to that of modern American society and can be seen through the rise of prescription drug use.
Soma, in Brave New World, is a drug that is described as "Euphoric, …show more content…
The quote, “And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there’s always soma to give you a holiday from the facts,” (Huxley 213; ch.17) illustrates that people are always taking soma on almost any occasion throughout the novel. Soma is even incorporated in their spiritual rituals. It is evident that soma is thought to make the world a better place and everyone else more desirable as described in the passage, "…the warm, the richly coloured, the infinitely friendly world of soma-holiday. How kind, how good-looking, how delightfully amusing every one was" (Huxley 79; ch.5). Not only is it added to just about every aspect of their lives, but it is also encouraged by everyone including the government. It is demonstrated in the passage, "why you don 't take soma when you have these dreadful ideas of yours. You 'd forget all about them. And instead of feeling miserable, you 'd be jolly. So jolly," (Huxley 91; ch.6) that soma is so overused that it is relied on even for the smallest of troubles and if anyone does not use it, they are looked upon as if they are strange. Correspondingly, prescription drugs greatly impact drug abuser’s lives in modern American society. Prescription drug addiction controls several things in one’s life. Relationships with others become problematic, ones work performance deteriorates, and people begin to disregard responsibilities. The misuse of drugs to create feeling of happiness, for all intents and purposes, consumes one’s life. On the other hand, soma is over used by the whole society in Brave New World while prescription drugs are only unnecessarily consumed by drug addicts in today’s American
Soma, in Brave New World, is a drug that is described as "Euphoric, …show more content…
The quote, “And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there’s always soma to give you a holiday from the facts,” (Huxley 213; ch.17) illustrates that people are always taking soma on almost any occasion throughout the novel. Soma is even incorporated in their spiritual rituals. It is evident that soma is thought to make the world a better place and everyone else more desirable as described in the passage, "…the warm, the richly coloured, the infinitely friendly world of soma-holiday. How kind, how good-looking, how delightfully amusing every one was" (Huxley 79; ch.5). Not only is it added to just about every aspect of their lives, but it is also encouraged by everyone including the government. It is demonstrated in the passage, "why you don 't take soma when you have these dreadful ideas of yours. You 'd forget all about them. And instead of feeling miserable, you 'd be jolly. So jolly," (Huxley 91; ch.6) that soma is so overused that it is relied on even for the smallest of troubles and if anyone does not use it, they are looked upon as if they are strange. Correspondingly, prescription drugs greatly impact drug abuser’s lives in modern American society. Prescription drug addiction controls several things in one’s life. Relationships with others become problematic, ones work performance deteriorates, and people begin to disregard responsibilities. The misuse of drugs to create feeling of happiness, for all intents and purposes, consumes one’s life. On the other hand, soma is over used by the whole society in Brave New World while prescription drugs are only unnecessarily consumed by drug addicts in today’s American