Twenty twenty twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do, no where to go o,
I wanna be sedated
I Want to be Sedated, The Ramones (1978)
Most people are familiar with the chorus of “I Want to be Sedated,” perhaps the most famous song of punk rock band The Ramones. This song debuted in 1978 and it seems that America took this on as the new national anthem. Joey Ramone wrote the song in response to the band being overworked by an overzealous manager. Ramone claimed to have worked 360 of 365 days that year.
What is it about life in America that has people so desperate to tune out? Drug and alcohol abuse continues to climb. Suicide rates have gone up significantly in recent years. Why are Americans so unhappy?
Think about these facts:
- Total alcohol sales in the U.S.: $234.4 BILLION/yr
- 1 in 6 Americans use psychotropic medications… Creating a $17 Billion market in U.S. alone.
- 62% of surveyed Americans are in favor of the legalization of marijuana.
- According the the Federal Government, more than 72,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2017.