There is reason for guarded optimism if we can eliminate, or at least drastically reduce, irresponsible use of antibiotics: The capacity to resist antibiotics

There is reason for guarded optimism if we can eliminate, or at least drastically reduce, irresponsible use of antibiotics: The capacity to resist antibiotics extracts a small metabolic/competitive "tax" on bacteria. In the presence of antibiotics, the costs of this tax are outweighed by the obvious benefits of antibiotic resistance. In an environment without antibiotics, the costs of the tax outweigh their benefits, so these antibiotic-resistant bacteria will eventually be outgrown by "normal" bacteria. If we can discipline ourselves to use antibiotics only when necessary, gradually antibiotic-resistant bacteria should become less common. Unfortunately, I doubt this will happen until the antibiotic-resistance problem becomes much more serious.