I recently read an article on The Odyssey about the Xanax craze of this generation, and it hit home with me on another level. Our society has gotten into the habit of glamourizing serious issues such as addiction, depression, and mental illness, and in all honesty, it needs to stop. For those of you affected by addiction, you know that it is more than just a bad habit; it's a disease. It's destructive not only for the addict, but for every person surrounding them; somehow, their addiction controls every ounce of their being whether they like it or not, and they are driven to act like an entirely different person. Though it may seem uncommon, addiction is a big problem and it's growing exponentially. A whopping twenty-three million people over the age of twelve suffer from alcohol or drug addiction in the U.S., and over one million were admitted into treatment centers in 2006 (which was ten years ago, by the way). Think that's funny? It isn't. Whether you're directly affected by addiction or not, there is no denying its prevalence and its danger in our society today. We have the power to stop it in further generations, but we need to take it seriously instead of brushing it off nonchalantly.

It's all too common to hear phrases thrown around as jokes such as, "Yeah, I'm definitely an alcoholic," or "I'm just going to drink my sadness away." First of all, there is a difference between enjoying a drink and being an alcoholic. Alcoholics center their day around when they are able to drink and are often unable to focus on anything else for an extended period of time. College is a time of experimentation and though you may drink often, that doesn't make you an alcoholic. Joking about something that other people are seriously struggling with is not okay, and it isn't funny. Alcoholism is a disease and with the growth of party culture in our society, its prevalence will only grow stronger. We need to recognize that this is a problem and that alcohol abuse is real. There is a big difference between drinking alcohol and being an alcoholic, and we need to stop treating addiction as a joke.

In recent years, heroin has grown in popularity as well due to its cheap price and powerful high. I often hear people cracking jokes about using heroin, ignorant of its dangers and ignorant to all of those affected by it. With the first use of heroin, overdose and even death can occur and it's very difficult to use the drug without becoming addicted. In 2011, just five years ago, there were over 250,000 reported E.R. visits related to heroin, and the number only continues to rise. The number of deaths related to heroin overdose rose from 2,000 in 2002 to nearly 8,000 in 2012, a 286% increase. It may seem otherworldly to you, but heroin use and addiction is way more prevalent than you may think. Drug use is not funny, and the ignorance surrounding it needs to stop.

Though drugs and alcohol may seem like the only substances once could be addicted to, relationships fall under this category as well. All too often, I see unhealthy relationships arising in which one person is seemingly unable to subsist without the other. On Twitter, memes popularizing the "crazy girlfriend" stereotype make it seem universal and in a way, teaches girls that it is okay to control their significant other. Relationships should be a place for both parties to feel safe and secure without trust issues or the need to control. A relationship in which one or both people have no room to grow or progress as people is not healthy, and our generation needs to stop teaching others that it is. Unhealthy relationships are destructive to all involved and create wounds that are difficult to heal for a long time. Our society almost teaches people that we need another person in order to be happy or fulfilled, and this just is not the case.

Addiction is not a joke. We have the power to stop its growth and to reverse the damage done from socialization. We need to stop joking about serious issues and begin to take strides to fix them. Whether it be alcohol, drugs, or a person, addiction is a disease. The good news is that in most cases, it's curable; one-third of all alcoholics recover from their addiction after seeking help. If you have a friend or loved one who may be suffering from addiction, take the first steps to help them help themselves. If you hear somebody cracking a joke about addiction, though it may seem harmless, teach them about the harm that comes from it and stop the ignorance from spreading. Addiction isn't funny, so let's stop pretending it is.