Mood Altering Drugs in Today's Society

Mood Altering Drugs in Today’s Society In Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel Brave New World, soma, a drug commonly consumed throughout the New World, is abused and enables people’s bad states of emotions to turn good. For every dose of soma “raise[s] a quite impenetrable wall between the actual universe and [the citizens’] minds” (Huxley 77). The sedative and controlling effect it has on emotions and moods allows for people to be easily controlled. Soma is originally introduced into Huxley’s novel through a conversation with Bernard Marx and Henry Foster. There aren’t any consequences for taking the drug, other than a decrease in lifespan, and Henry is an expert at “selling” it and getting people to consume soma. While soma is the only mood altering drug, the World State has found a way to establish its community around it and create a foundation relying upon this sedative. This type of mood altering foundation is seen in today’s society and not only throughout Brave New World’s famous soma distribution but through today’s drugs and their side effects and promotion. Caffeine is one of the nation’s most consumed drinks. Not only does it take over people’s lives but can entirely become a part of everyday meals. According to Tina Peng’s “A Summer Caffeine Rush,” caffeine intake should be regulated according to age groups and the effects it has on them. Throughout the United States caffeine affects daily lives. According to Elizabeth Burger, a spokes- person for the American Academy for Child Adolescent Psychiatry, “children weigh less than adults, [so] they’re more susceptible to the chemical’s effects.” Children can be kept awake all night and have a “grouchy or overly excited mood.” Americans forget to see how caffeine can control their lives and become consumed in its mood altering effects. Prescribed medications only have certain limitations to who can actually get the medicines, wrong. As seen in a Pharmaceutical Representative magazine article, “sharing