TEXT: Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society, 8th Ed by Levinthal, Charles E
Original Question:
For this week's Forum, respond to the following: For this week's forum question, we tackle an interesting topic: Should cognitive performance-enhancing drugs be used by healthy people? Why or why not? What could be the benefits/downsides/risks?
You'll see some Point/Counterpoint arguments on this topic in your textbook. Certainly, feel free to use those as a starting point, but be sure to bring something of your own to the discussion, substantiating your position and following the instructions listed below.
Reply to the following response with 200 words minimum. (please make response as if having a conversation, respond directly to some of the statements in below post. This is not providing an analysis of the original post. Respectfully address it and even ask clarifying or additional questions.)
To look at this issue I would first like to start by looking at this through our high school and college age students. This trend of taking enhancing drugs is becoming more and more prevalent, and through my career I'm seeing more and more adults in their mid-twenties addicted to narcotics.
I feel a drug needs to be used for it purpose which is to help or heal a problem we have with our bodies. If allowing kids to use these to "enhance" their already healthy bodies it is only teaching them to take a short cut but in the larger picture it is giving them an addiction.
Their bodies are becoming reliant on a drug for them to perform instead of learning adult life lesson such as time management and life prioritization.
Now pushing past this issue let's look at the majorly watched sports such as the Olympics, football, baseball, etc. There is a reason that there are rules in place for performance enhancing drugs. Not that it will make them stronger and faster, but that they are dangerous. Look at your body a pendulum if you swing it one way in the extreme, to the left, eventually it will swing back to right causing the opposite effect.
We can look at it as they are adults and can make their own choices by unfortunately they are the ones our children look up too. Personally, I feel we need to ensure that drugs are continued to be used for their purpose. If a person is healthy there is no need for them take anything.
It is only drawing a dependency on an already dependent pill world. As adults, leaders, and educators we need to ensure that the message gets out. Ultimately in the end it is our responsibility to ensure that future generations are well educated and understand that they need to embrace the natural gifts they are given and not pursue alternate solutions that in the long run will harm them.