Drug Awareness
By: Trey Byers
Intended Audience
The audience I am directing this message towards is high school students across the United States who have not done drugs but may be thinking about trying them.
Purpose
The purpose of this message is to direct a young mind on the right path and change someones mind about doing drugs and harming their body.
Research
Drug abuse and addiction cost the American society close to $200 billion in healthcare, criminal justice, legal, and lost workplace production. About a quater million of people lose their life every year because of the abuse of drugs. Every day people across the United States are losing connection with their family and loved ones because of their drug addiction. People are losing their jobs and living on the street because of their addictions and habits. According to AlcholRehab, 26% of homeless people are homeless because of a drug addiction they have. Most of these people started using drugs at a young age irresponsibly which lead to their addiction and the start of a miserable life.
Health Effects
The long term effects of drugs includes heart disease, lung desease, cancer, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other serious issues that can ruin the health of your body and mind mentally and physically. Long term drug use can also lead to serious addiction as well. Drug use can also have indirect effects on both the people who are taking the drug and on those around them.
Statistics
Statistics show that most people use drugs for the first time when they are teenagers. In 2013 alone there were over 2.8 million new users street drugs which is about 7,800 new users per day. 54.1 percent of these people were under 18 years of age.
My Experience
I haven't had an experience with drugs but I know people who have ruined their lives because of their addiction. I have seen people lose their relationship with their own family and loved ones over drugs and I can relate to this because one of these people was my cousin.
MLA Citations
1. Abuse, National Institute on Drug. "Nationwide Trends." NIDA. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2017.
2. "Homelessness and Substance Abuse." Alcohol Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2017.
3. Abuse, National Institute on Drug. "Nationwide Trends." NIDA. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2017.
4. Wali, Vishwesh. "ONE LIFE...LIVE IT!!!" I Am on the RIGHT PATH!!! N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 18 May 2017.