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In present day, many of the issues facing the world have become immoral and unjust. Our society continues to confront these issues regarding drug use, sexuality and relationships, and the consumption of products and goods. These issues are, surprisingly, very similar to the problems found in Auldous Huxley’s society in his book, Brave New World. In both cultures, society struggles with the usage and desire for drugs, the idea of human sexuality and love, and the mass consumption of products.
The United States has dealt with drug problems for decades. People use drugs to escape problems they face in their lives, as well as to escape emotions that they would rather not deal with in their lives. Overall, about 112 million Americans age twelve or older (which is 46 percent of the population) have been convicted of illicit drug use at least once in their lifetime. Also, fourteen percent reported use of a drug within the past year and eight percent reported use of a drug within the past month (Drugs and Crime Facts).In the New World State the situation is frighteningly similar to the present state of the world. The people of the New World State rely on one drug, Soma. Soma allows people to forget their problems and to go on a “holiday” of relaxation and fantasies. The drug numbs people from feeling any emotion that may make their idea of "community, identity, stability” in society, become unstable (Brave New World, 1). John, a main character in the book, stated that Soma was “horrible stuff-[that is] poison to soul as well as body” (Brave New World, 215). With Soma, one can “take a holiday from reality whenever you like, and come back without so much as a headache or a mythology”(Brave New World, 66). People in the United States have become reliant on specific drugs to avoid problems and to get rid of unwanted emotions in order to put their minds at ease.