The Bubble: Why People Use Prescription Drugs

The Bubble

Close your eyes and imagine the smell of fresh cut grass, the noise of children playing carelessly in the streets, pleasing rows of meticulously constructed houses - seemingly the perfect town. This town is a real place, it’s called Highlands Ranch. Here kids go to school everyday in brightly colored backpacks, families take christmas cards photos with crystal backdrops, soccer moms drive minivans hiding behind the pears they can’t afford, and everyone goes about their day with a smile.

There are no homeless people begging for money, the large majority of the population is white middle to upper class families, and the streets are lined with evenly planted pine trees. I’ve lived here my whole life and lovingly refer to this place

Childhoods are no longer filled with football games and riding bikes, now pipes and blurry faces represent growing up.

Here teenagers have also found a more practical use for drugs. ADHD prescription drugs, like adderall, and anti anxiety medications are very common in “the bubble”, not to fill the time but to focus and improve test scores. By abusing prescription drugs students can become less stressed and more focused, but this comes at a cost. Prescription drug abuse can lead to addiction, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, and a large list full of other side effects according to the Mayo Clinic. Unfortunately kids aren’t taking into consideration that they are trading their health for an A on a math test.

In Highlands Ranch most parents punish for Bs and shove ivy league information pamphlets down their child’s throat. It is hard to stand out when the large percentage of the school is in National Honours Honors Society. This overwhelming stress to be exceptional in a school full of exceptional people is mentally toxic. School comes before everything; sleeping, eating, socializing, physical health and mental health. The majority of teenagers I know have been diagnosed with either depression or

Funerals have become common events. According to a paper from the San Francisco Federal Reserve, suicide risks are higher in wealthier neighborhoods. This stems from the fact that our self esteem is highly controlled by how we compare ourselves to others; and by being surrounded by successful people we tend to view ourselves more negatively. This low self esteem combined with constant stress to be better often results in mental illness.

Kids may be dying on the streets but kids are also dying in their rooms, and no one is talking about it. Far too many parents send their mentally ill child to a physiatrist, get some “happy pills”, and assume everything is okay. Girls are crunched over bathroom weights crying because they aren’t what this town has established as beautiful. Boys are breaking their bones trying to be good at a sport they could care less about. Everyone is living for their image, even if they don’t realise it.

Behind the curtain everything is going wrong. Parents and teachers know about the addictions, the depressions, the expectations and stay silent. Everyone keeps smiling even though no one is