One of the largest problems in our country tends to be one of the social, health, and economic domain. One such problem within all three of those domains would be the epidemic of opiate drugs that has continued to spread across our country at a startling rate. One may question why this is a problem of economics, health, and social, but there are a few different factors that make it so. Economics and drug addiction have a link between the two that is hard to understand when not studied.
One of the largest difficulties of our economy has been the fact that our unemployment is low, but the labor force participation is low as well. What this means is that a large amount of people who are of working age are not able or are choosing not to work. There has been a variety of different explanations suggested for this, including our high compensation welfare system, foreign competition, and the leap into more automation just to name a few. There tends to be another large factor that can play a very influencing role that has been frequently overlooked. This is the factor of health. A large amount of unhealthy individuals are going to be much less likely to be employed, logically speaking.
Going along the lines of health, there is the fact that one of the largest health issues in our country right now is the epidemic of opioid abuse. In fact, the United States has the highest levels of prescriptions for opioids, as well as the highest rates of abuse. This is an issue which continues to grow quite worse. When a person is abusing opiates, they often begin to move onto other heavier types of opiates. A person could get cut off of their prescription, or no longer be able to afford it and so move to heroin, which can offer stronger effects for a cheaper price, and more availability of the drug too.
Economics and Drug Addiction – The Increase in Prescription Addiction and the Lowering of the Work Force
Research has displayed that the more prescriptions that are given out by doctors, the more addiction continues to increase. This ties in to the workings of economics and drug addiction in our nation. Of course, the large amount of drug abuse and addiction is likely to have an impact on an individual’s ability to work and perform their jobs. In fact, according to a paper from an economist, Alan Krueger states, “Nearly half of prime age NLF (not in the labor force) men take pain medication on a daily basis, and in nearly two-thirds of cases they take prescription pain medication.” So while some of these individuals very well may have conditions that do not allow them to work, there also seems to be the potential that abusing painkillers and getting addicted to them could also bring many people to not want to work. This could potentially also include those who are on welfare and abusing opiate medications too.
If You or Your Loved One are Struggling With a Drug or Alcohol Abuse
Addiction has continued to be a troublesome condition for many to overcome within our country, but there is help out there. Treatment can allow a person to be able to address their addiction, as well as the underlying issues and factors behind it. One factor when it comes to addiction treatment is finding the right treatment center to go to in the first place. The center should fit the individual and it should be able to provide the specific care and type of treatment that is suitable for them. It can be difficult to find the right center sometimes in the sea of them, but we help with that. Our staff is familiar with economics and drug addiction, the different centers across the country, and we can help to find the right one for you or your loved one.
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