Misuse of medicine among the young generation
年轻一代滥用药物
Nowadays. millions of people misuse and even overuse pain medications and other drugs. Research by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 1999) shows that around 2% of the population over age 12 were using drugs non-medically.
如今，数百万人滥用止痛药和其他药物。美国国家药物滥用研究所（NIDA，1999）的研究表明，大约2%的12岁以上人口使用非医疗药物。
Benefits of medicine and its wise use
药物的益处及合理使用
NIDA views medications as a powerful force for good in the contemporary world. They reduce and remove pain for millions of people suffering from illness and disease. They make it possible for doctors to perform complicated surgery to save lives. Many people afflicted by serious medical conditions are able to control their symptoms and become active, contributing citizens. NIDA points out that most individuals who take these drags use them in a responsible.
NIDA将药物视为当代世界的一股强大力量，可以减轻和消除数百万疾病患者的痛苦，让医生可以进行复杂的手术以挽救生命，许多受到严重疾病困扰的人能够控制自己的症状，成为有活力，有价值的公民。NIDA指出，大多数服用这些药物的人都会以负责任的态度使用这些药物。
Drug overuse and its consequence
药物滥用及其后果
Nevertheless. overuse of drugs such as opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants and stimulants does lead to harmful reliance in some people and is therefore becoming a serious public health concern. Although this abuse affects many people worldwide, particular trends of concern to the medical profession in the US appear among older adults, teenagers arid women.
然而，阿片类药物、中枢神经系统（CNS）抑制剂和兴奋剂等药物的过度使用确实会导致一些人产生有害的依赖，因此成为严重的公共卫生问题。尽管这种滥用影响到世界各地，不过美国医学界特别在老年人、青少年和女性中的流行趋势。
Improper use of medicine among senior citizens
老年人用药不当
Though it may be a surprise to many, the misuse of medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly. Dr Kenneth Schrader of Duke University, North Carolina states that although the elderly represent about 13% of the US population, those aged 65 and over account for the consumption of one third of all drugs. People in this age group use medications roughly three times more than the general population and have poorer compliance with instruction for use. In another study of elderly patients admitted to treatment programs, 70% were women who had overused medicines.
尽管很多人会惊讶，但药物使用不当可能是老年人中最常见的药物滥用形式。北卡罗来纳州杜克大学的肯尼斯·施拉德博士表示，老年人占美国人口的13%，但65岁及以上的人占所有药物的三分之一。这一年龄段的人使用药物的数量大约是普通人群的三倍，对使用说明的依从性较差。在另一项针对接受治疗项目的老年患者的研究中，70%的女性药物使用过量。
Female drug overuse with reference to that of males
与男性相比，女性药物过度使用
Unfortunately, this trend among women does not only affect those aged over. In general, among women and men who are using either an anti-anxiety drug or a sedative, women are twice as likely to become addicted．In addition, statistics compiled for 12-17 year olds show that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to begin overusing psychotherapeutic medication such as painkillers, tranquillisers, stimulants and sedatives.
不幸的是，女性中的这一趋势不只是影响年龄大的人。总的来说，在使用抗焦虑药物或镇静剂的女性和男性中，女性上瘾的可能性是男性的两倍。此外，针对12-17岁青少年编制的统计数据显示，女孩比男孩更可能开始过度使用心理治疗药物，如止痛药、兴奋剂和镇静剂。
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