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Ameericans do realize how unhappy they are. There's an epidemic of opiate addiction. That unhappiness is the result of many things: major changes in the job ma
by cdoxsey 9y ago
Ameericans do realize how unhappy they are. There's an epidemic of opiate addiction.
That unhappiness is the result of many things: major changes in the job market leaving millions without opportunities, the collapse of hundreds of small towns and communities, the disintegration of the nuclear family, etc.
Ironically, materially, Americans are much better off than they were decades ago, but all that material prosperity has left people unsatisfied.
In my opinion the problem goes much deeper than this, as Augustine said:
> You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.
But the inadequacy of consumerism is maybe more clear.
- tptacek 9y agoNon-medical opiate use is up double digits in Europe as well. The opiate epidemic is coming to Europe. There's more to it than "life is hard".
- raarts 9y agoI think you refer to this article: The Opioid Epidemic Hits The European Union [1]. Note that the title of that article contradicts the contents though. There is a big difference between the current opioid epidemic in the US, and an 'increase in non-medical drug use for prescription painkillers'.. One of the researchers is even quoted to say: "We can learn much from the E.U. in terms of how to prescribe opioids in the context of a national healthcare system" [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/cjarlotta/2016/08/09/high-rates-of-nonmedical-opioid-use-hit-european-union/#6a50baf721fb https://www.forbes.com/sites/cjarlotta/2016/08/09/high-rates...