Informative Speech on Drug Addition
Speech Objective
Drug addiction has become a severe problem at this age. Most young people view drugs as part of life, with some trying it a couple of times and then stopping while others continue, thus, developing an addiction (Best et al.,2016). People may try some substances such as alcohol, prescribed drugs, cigarettes, and inhalants. Despite some substances such as marijuana being illegal, people still use them. To deal with this situation, it is critical to inform people about the side effects of drug addiction. In this connection, this paper presents an informative speech on drug addiction to young people, with the target population between those aged 18-29 years.
Issues Addressed
What is Drug Addiction?
Drug addiction, commonly referred to as substance use disorder affects a person’s behavior and brain functionality, leading to the inability to control the use of both legal and illegal drugs. When one is addicted to a particular drug, he or she may continue using it regardless of the harm or side effects that it may have. Typically, drug addiction starts with the experimental phase. With time, this becomes a habit and abuse becomes frequent. Others tend to start drug addiction upon exposure to prescribed medicines, a common one being opioids. How fast one gets addicted to a particular drug largely depends on certain factors. For instance, opioid painkillers have a higher risk of addiction.
Why Do People Take Drugs?
People take drugs due to some reasons. One of the common reasons as to why people engage in substance abuse is curiosity and social pressure. Young people are at a higher risk of conforming to peer pressure from their friends. Some may take drugs to impress their friends and as a way of showing that they are independent of social rules and their parents. Another factor that may lead to drug abuse and addiction is the willingness to feel high. Drugs can lead to intense feelings of power, self-confidence, pleasure, and enhanced energy. Similarly, other drugs produce a feeling of satisfaction and relaxation. To get this feeling more often, you people may indulge in drug substance abuse. Others may want to feel better or to do better, thus, engaging in substance abuse.
Is Drug Addiction Voluntary?
In most cases, the first decision to take drugs is voluntary. With time, however, a person finds it hard to control himself, indicating onset of drug addiction. Studies have suggested that addiction starts to interfere with brain areas that are critical for decision making, behavior control, memory, learning, and judgment. Such changes can explain the inability to control a person’s eager to use drugs even if they are willing to stop it.
What factors increase the Chances of Addiction?
Many factors play an essential role in increasing the chances of drug addiction among young people. Common among these include social relations and peer pressure, home and family setting, biological factors such as genetic composition, and early use of drugs. Parents and other family members who use drugs can increase the chances and risk of children’s future interaction with drugs.
What are the Intervention Mechanisms of Drug Addiction?
There are proven models for drug addiction intervention that can be used to help addicts. Common among these models include the Johnson Model, Field model, Systemic family model, Tough love, motivational interviewing, and crisis intervention. These models can be used across varying levels of addiction. Despite the kind of methodology used, it is critical to seek the services of a trained therapist or addiction interventionist.
References
Best, D., Beckwith, M., Haslam, C., Alexander Haslam, S., Jetten, J., Mawson, E., & Lubman, D. I. (2016). Overcoming alcohol and other drug addiction as a process of social identity transition: The social identity model of recovery (SIMOR). Addiction Research & Theory, 24(2), 111-123.
Everitt, B. J., & Robbins, T. W. (2016). Drug addiction: updating actions to habits to compulsions ten years on. Annual review of psychology, 67, 23-50.
Garcia, Z. (n.p). 5 Addiction Intervention Methods. Retrieved from https://www.orlandorecovery.com/substance-abuse-interventions/methods/#gref