The characters of the novel are conditioned to use soma to escape reality when unhappy, unable to fix their problems as they are unconscious.
Substance abuse has plagued society for some time. Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 - shortly after Brave New World was published - and Malvern Institute, the oldest drug rehabilitation center in the United States, opened in 1948. In 2015, around 17.6 million Americans suffered from alcohol abuse or dependency. In 2013, an estimated 24.6 million Americans had used an illicit drug. These numbers are still on the rise, with just drug use increasing by 8.3 percent since 2002.
Drug or alcohol users abuse substances because they want to hide their emotions. In Brave New World, Benito observes, “You do look glum! What you need is a gramme of soma” (Huxley 60). People suffering from depression may begin to consume drugs or alcohol to avoid their problems. Also, drugs and alcohol are considered “cool” by young people, being consumed at social events for fun. In today’s society, obtaining these substances is easy as knowing someone who already possesses