[corin_]

Stuff like "well I'm getting on a flight, time to pop a couple of xanax" seems much more common in films/TV that America exports than, say, real life in the UK.

I know plenty of people who use illegal drugs but still have that perception of America thanks to Hollywood/etc.

Personally, I don't know the data between countries, and while I've been to the US a bunch of times I've never tried to obtain medicine there legally or illegally. But I have found a big difference between UK ("You want valium? Are you sure? OK, here are 4x 2mg pills") vs France/Belgium ("Do you mean 10mg, I don't think valium comes that weak..." before realising they could prescribe 2mg indeed, and multiple times I've asked for a controlled drug in FR/BE and had the doctor reply "how many boxes" without even asking why I wanted it. Purely anecdotal, though.)

[kevin_thibedeau]

This sort of behavior is only common among the people who write screenplays.

[corin_]

Even for non-pillpopping writers, I imagine it's often more interesting to make a character take drugs/medicine than not.

Ultimately, a lot of the world's views of America are shaped by the versions we see in fiction - I've been to the US from Europe more than most people I know, and I have plenty of American friends/colleagues. But still, I spend more time watching fictional versions of America on my TV than I do experiencing America myself.