Affluenza is defined as the need to purchase more in order to gain status and happiness. America has five percent of the world's population and we consume thirty times as much as other countries. Our obsession with material goods has progressed to the point where advertisers will target children in order to make a sale. We are controlled by our obsessions with "stuff" so much that it has become a high priority in our society.
             Affluenza has been attributed to overwork, personal stress, the erosion of family and community, skyrocketing debt, and the growing gap between rich and poor. The never ending chase for the "American Dream" has cost our society more than just money. There has been a great decline in the value of family over the past century. Family has become more of who you live with and has decreased as the backbone of society. Now, more than ever, it seems as if money has become the backbone of society. The value of a person, or life, has been measured by money. The more one owns, the higher the status of that individual. Many believe that the bigger the house, the fancier the car, and the more extravagant their clothes are will affect their level of happiness. This is not the case, however. Many people who are extremely wealthy can never seem to find happiness. Americans as a whole were the happiest in 1957, and the number of people who claim to be happy has been declining ever since. Even though we consume more, we find it harder to reach the goal we are searching for.
             Americans consume three times as much as the rest of the world. Since 1950, we have used more resources than the total used before that date. We depend on other countries for natural resources because ours have begun to run low. Fifty percent of our oil is imported from other countries. The United States had ten percent of the world's supply of oil, now it has five percent. We are consuming more and recycling less. Common sense woul...