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There is simply no denying the epidemic of drug addiction in the United States of America, or that this addiction is primarily centered around legalized pharmaceutical drugs rather than illicit street drugs. A recent analysis by the blog The American Dream highlights 18 shocking facts and statistics that show just how bad this addiction really is, and that it is only continuing to get worse.

Drug companies work very hard and spend obscene amounts of money convincing both the public and mainstream doctors that the latest blockbuster drugs will improve public health and well-being. Big Pharma, in fact, spends billions of dollars a year just on television advertising for drugs, which is a crucial tactic for maintaining this medical status.

But what few people realize is just how rapidly society is becoming dependent on pharmaceutical drugs, and particularly in the US where, in a recent survey, more than 50 percent of Americans admitted that they took at least one prescription drug within the past month. These are just prescription drugs, of course — millions more Americans regularly take over-the-counter medications like aspirin, cough medicines, and sleeping aids.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that more than one quarter of all American children and teens now take prescription drugs on a regular basis, too — and this percentage is on the rise as well. Many of these children are taking dangerous psychiatric medications like Ritalin and Risperdal for so-called behavioral problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).