What the World Would Be Like if Drug Abuse Didn’t Exist

It’s no question that drug abuse has a profound impact on society. In fact, drug addiction is known for costing the U.S. billions of dollars every year. That’s right – billions. So what would the world be like if drug abuse simply didn’t exist? How much better would it be? Let’s take a look.

Crime would go down substantially.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), about 70 percent of state prisoners and 57 percent of federal prisoners used drugs before they were incarcerated. Many of the reasons behind crime – things like murder, robbery and assault – fall on the shoulders of drug abuse. Drug abuse also propels many individuals to commit other crimes, like stealing money, in order to buy drugs. In a world without drug abuse, the number of total crimes and state/federal inmates would certainly decrease.

Healthcare costs would decrease.

Alcohol and drug abuse is responsible for millions of deaths and injuries across the country. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 114 people die every day as a result of a drug overdose. Almost 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs. For this fact alone, there is no question that healthcare costs would go down if death and injury from drug abuse declined. In addition, a person’s risk for certain diseases like heart disease, stroke and cancer increase when drugs and alcohol are involved, especially tobacco. So in a world without drug abuse, people would be healthier in general.

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Family violence would go down.

Child abuse and neglect are often directly related to alcohol or drug use among parents or guardians. In a world without drug abuse, violence among families (both domestic violence and child abuse) would decrease. This would create a chain reaction in the number of injuries seen in emergency rooms and hospitals from abuse, as well as the number of people in jail from committing such abuse and neglect.

There would be fewer homeless people.

One-third of all homeless people suffer from drug or alcohol abuse. Can you imagine if those homeless didn’t have access to drugs or alcohol? There would be less crime, less money spent on obtaining drugs and alcohol, and more money going towards more economically productive purchases, like a place to live, food or clothes. Drug abuse can quickly drain a person’s finances and cause them to end up on the streets, and without it, finances can be much more stable.

If drug abuse didn’t exist, the world would be a different place. It would look different – there would be fewer homeless and fewer people in prisons. Quality of life would improve – healthcare costs would go down, fewer people would be sick or dying, and families would be safer (and happier). The world would be a better place if drug abuse didn’t exist, but the sad truth is that it does.

So what can you do? Whether you suffer from drug abuse or you have a loved one who does, we can work together to turn this world around. Learn more about addiction recovery so that we can lower the amount of drug abuse taking place across the country today.