Drug addiction outline

Desirae Weaver
Ms. Vuranch
Fundamentals of Speech 101

Addiction in America

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of addiction in America, and how addiction effects users, and Americans.

Central Idea: Addiction has components that influence the behavior in addicts, there are scientific reasoning, warning signs, and treatment alternatives.


According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse about half of Americans have a loved one, a friend, or an acquaintance who is addicted to drugs.

I. The definition of drug abuse is the compulsive use of drugs, to where the user has no effective choice but to continue.

II. A person who becomes enslaved in these addictions, can lose their livelihoods, friends, family, possessions, and their own lives.
A. In the U.S, in 2003, approximately 2 million people were admitted into treatment.
B. In the state of West Virginia, during 2003, 1,500 people were admitted into treatment.
C. Addiction is not only a problem for the user, but for the friends, family, and the entire country who contributes tax dollars that pay for criminals rehabilitation, and the clean up involved with the crimes they committed, to obtain the drugs they need.

III. Why does a user go to outstanding situations to seek these substances?
A. Addiction generally refers to the situation where drug use appears to control the users behavior.
B. Drugs become the number one priority of the user, and the other priorities are neglected.
C. Addiction compared to other behaviors has a intense motivational drive to get the drug.
1. Many factors influence drug addiction, such as personality, characteristics, peer pressure, and psychological stress.

IV. Drug addiction varies from person to person, from drug to drug.
A. Drugs such as cocaine and heroin can addict their users after a few uses, and in rare cases the first hit.
B. Drugs such as codeine and alcohol require more uses to addict their users.
C. A person who is predisposed hereditarily, by the influence of their parents addiction, is more likely to become and addict then a person who is not genetically predisposed.

V. Drug addiction has two components.
A. Physical Addiction
1. When the body becomes accustomed to the effects of the particular drug.
B. Psychological addiction.
1. This occurs when a drug has been used habitually and the mind has become emotionally reliant on it’s effects.
a. To relieve emotional pain.
b. To have pleasure.

VI. Scientist and medical professionals believe that addictive substances create dependence in the user by changing the brains reward functions, located in the mesolimbic dopamine system.
A. Drugs (through different degrees) cause the dopamine to flood the system in the brain, creating a brief rush of euphoria, known as the high.
B. The addiction presents a situation where the chemical activation of the brain mechanism controls the users behavior.

VII. There are warning signs and changes in personality that a user presents while in their addiction, that may be obvious to others.
A. Being aware of these warning signs could help the user.
1. Many users are in denial, and are unaware of their addictions.
2. If you become aware of their addiction before hand, you could plan a intervention, that could possibility prove to the user that they are addicted and need treatment.
3. A few of the most obvious signs are loss of interest in family and friends, verbally and emotionally abusive, disappearance of money and valuables, not telling anyone where they are going, constant excuses, lying, poor self image, and no concern for anything.

VIII. After a chronic user has been using for a long period of time their addiction, physical or psychological, change.
A. One change the addict will experience is an adapted tolerance to the amount of substance the user had been consuming.
B. Another is once the high wears off, the user becomes sober, and he is left feeling depressed and dissatisfied, and finds it difficult to find pleasure in activities he had once enjoyed before.

IX. There are different type of treatments available for different types of situations.
A. There are Residential Rehabs.
1. They last approximately for 30 days.
B. Detoxification, either at a hospital or another facility.
C. Ambulory, out patient, receiving treatment a few hours a day.
D. There is the 12 Step Program, known as Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous.
1. This recovery program is a fellowship primarily found in the U.S and Canada.

In conclusion, understanding addiction is crucial aspect when it comes to prevention, treatment, and recovery.
Many people of every type, are greatly effected by the impact of drug abuse. It’s ever bodies problem.
Some may believe those who deal with an addiction, or a family members addiction, may be horrible people, liars, and criminals.
Ultimately, the understanding, we will realize the physical, psychological, and scientific reasoning that motivates a user to use.
Addiction is a disease……a preventable disease.
There is always hope for an addict, and if we were to all be open minded and truthful we could maybe save them. Which saves America as a whole.

Sounds like it was a fascinating speech!! Way to go girl!

Hi Des,

Looks like you did put in a lot of work, it's a shame that it takes so much to weed through all the crap on the subject. While I'm glad you got a good grade for your effort, I have a fair amount of trouble with the disease view of addiction, based on my reading and experience. Detox and rehab. is best kept short and non coercive according to Peele I'm guessing he means 2 weeks max(I would have to reread).

http://www.morerevealed.com/kirton.jsp
http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/rrhallof.htm
http://www.positiveatheism.org/rw/peelemodels.htm

Hope you're well~Down

Wow!!

What a comphrensive and well-thought out speech Desirae!

Good job!

Nicely done, des. Looks like a very thorough outline.