Drug Addiction In Huxley's The Brave New World

Imagine a world where the girl next door has loose morals and sleeps with everyone. Where the boy you see walking along the street is headed to meet his drug dealer who has him hooked on drugs. A world where no one is guided by the compass of religion. Where your boss who is at least 50 doesn't look a day over 30. A world where there is no traditional family unit. This world was created by Andrew Huxley, in his novel The Brave New World. This novel is one of fiction yet our world is starting to fit into the very same description. We are headed towards the Brave New World’s philosophies. Our attitudes on drug addiction, anti-aging, and the role of church in people’s lives are becoming more comparable to the Brave New World’s. It’s startling

In the Brave New World, drug addiction is the social norm. Everyone in the World State takes a gram of their glorified drug, Soma, whenever they want. Furthermore, people who resist the consumption of Soma are foreseen as outcasts. We see how dependent and accepting they are of drugs after Lenina agrees to go on a date with Bernard but also mentions how she has a date with Henry. Bernard is upset by this and Benito Hoover quickly replies to Henry’s expression by saying “‘...you look glum! What you need is a gramme of soma’” ( Huxley 72). Drugs are their answer to everything, and they do not believe it is harmful at all. Society today it becoming more accepting of drugs. Similar to the Brave New World more people do not think it is harmful to use drugs. People use drugs as a crutch to solve their problems. Additionally, peer pressure and the perception of what is “cool” in high schools has caused a rise in drug use and positive outlooks on drugs. As reported in “11 Facts about Teen And Drug Use,” “About 50% of high school seniors do not think it's harmful to try crack or cocaine once or twice and 40% believe it's not harmful to use heroin once or twice.” An increasing number of people do not think it is harmful to try or do drugs. In the acceptance of drug use, our culture is becoming more similar to the Brave New

The lack of importance church serves in people’s life is becoming more comparable to the Brave New World. In the Brave New World they have completely eliminated the aspect of God and church. They keep books about God locked away in safes and do not let the public know about religion. We learn just how unimportant religion is to them in a deep conservation between the World Commander, Mustafa Mond, and the Savage, John. Mustafa Mond explains, “‘God isn't compatible with machinery and scientific medicine and universal happiness. You must make your choice. Our civilization has chosen machinery and medicine and happiness” (Huxley 237). The people in the Brave New World do not place any value on God. They do not think it is important to have a moral compass in life. In our civilization, the idea of religion is not completely extinct, but its popularity is declining. Thus, leading us to a state more similar to the Brave New World. In the article “Statistics and Reasons for Church Decline,” it is clear that ever since 1992, where only 22% of America's frequently attended church, church attendance has be decreasing and will continue to decrease. It is evident that America’s, like citizens in the Brave New World, do not think religion is important to their lives. As each generation raises the next generation, they are placing less value on religion each time.