Unfortunately a good friend - I am running gout of those - has recently turned to pharmaceuticals. Legally, under a doctor's guidance but IMO doctors will lead your straight over a cliff with those lightening fast prescription pads. The unadvertised side effect is that you'll wind up with your brain chemically rewired to need that garbage forever. If you even think of stopping it's use they have even worse things for you to gobble to eliminate any such clear thinking. Turned one of the smartest most capable people I know into a dithering, choking wussbunny who spends his days waiting for pills to make him feel better. I've seen this before and the end result is not pretty. Not quite Soma but it'll do. What did Capt. Kirk tell Sybock ? '**** off you stupid plot device ....'
Well, yeah probably (someone needed to) but he also told him to buzz off - he wants his pain and nobody can take i away from him.
Yes, we are being inundated and brainwashed and poisoned. Best way to manipulate someone into doing something is to make them want to do it on their own.