Writing 103--Spring 2024

                   In the United States more than 800,000 people have died from overdosing on opioids. This problem has been an issue since the early 2000s.  People wonder why addiction is such a problem but there is no real answer. There are many different ideas out there why people do drugs. People can do it once and it leads to addiction, this abuse can also lead to euphoria which is the feeling of happiness.  Opioids are a type of prescription pain medication. This pain medication turned into an illegal drug and people were dying quickly. There is treatment you can receive for opioid addiction but the possibility of it not working is there. Treatment comes in different forms like medications or getting psychological treatment.  Treatment is serious and you go through many different withdrawal symptoms like chills, anxiety, vomiting and sweating. Even after the treatment you can experience these symptoms. It is sa...

  Photo illustration: Opioid epidemic and drug abuse. Opioids are a prescription pain medication or they are illegal drugs. Over the years the rate of death from this type of drug progressed quickly. There is treatment you can receive for this type of substance abuse but you must want it. People who do receive this treatment either progress or relapse. Since the early 2000s more than 800,000 Americans have died from overdosing on opioids. The big question is what causes the addiction to this drug? People do not know the answer to that question. Is it because it helps with pain or it just makes people feel good? Studies show that even doing it one time can get someone addicted to opioids. After a period of taking the substance for a long time and multiple times a day you can experience euphoria. Euphoria is the feeling of happiness. You also can experience withdrawal if you stop or not take enough of the drug.  By Alyssa Valentin  Posted April 28, 2017  In Articles...

Teen Drug Abuse      “His lips were ash white. His pupils were popping out,” the boy’s mother, Lilia  Astudillo, said. Jose Perez was a 14-year-old from Texas who told his mom "I'm not a  drug addict" and told his mom to not take him  anywhere  for help.       The next morning Jose was dead. His mother was planning on taking him for help the next day, but it was too late. Jose was one of three people in his district to die in a span of months.        It leaves parents thinking "Why didn't I help them sooner", and "What could I have done". This small town in Texas isn't the only town suffering from this problem.         Teen drug addiction is a complex issue that has significant implications for many teenagers. It affects their social life, family life, and every aspect of their day-to-day life.  Drug abuse encompasses the misuse of alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, and much more.  D...

Highway signs warning about drinking and driving Did you know  intoxicated drivers cause 4.13 times more  accidents  than sober drivers? In 2012, a company named TruTouch invented an infrared alcohol detector. Installed in vehicles, this technology works by detecting the amount of alcohol present in a person by the amount of infrared light reflected back.  Infrared alcohol detectors are revolutionary technology that can exist in vehicles, so, if need be , a person can rely on them and prevent making the biggest mistake of their life. Companies like  TruTouch  are finding ways to install alcohol detecting technology into vehicles. Some of this technology can actually stop a vehicle from being driven if the driver is suspected to be under the influence.  The creators of TruTough, Takata , received grants from the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) and from the Automotive Coalition for the Traffic Safety (ACTS) to further develop their pr...

  Photo From Beginnings Treatment Alcohol Use Disorder i s a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. For adults with AUD, their offspring could face terrible cognitive impairment, affecting their future socially and behaviorally. As chaotic as our government has been, this has worsened the upcoming generation. Children are merely more likely to inherit this crumbling disease. Even though drinking with minors was normalized in the past, underage drinking can cause severe depression and anxiety. Since the change of the legal drinking age was set to 21 in 1988,  there has since been a decline in underage drinking. Let's face it, drinking is one of the most common activities in our country today. There is never a party without alcohol. However, if someone develops a heavy addiction, they can be diagnosed with AUD. If they go on to have children, that child is 4 times more...

AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE ABUSE THAT SOME OF THE ABUSERS REQUEST. PHOTO PROVIDED. Social media is changing every day and is beginning to be impossible to keep up with. But younger children are starting to be able to navigate social media platforms more easily and these platforms are also becoming more accessible for them. As a result of this, children are becoming more susceptible to the side effects of social media, with one of those side effects sadly being suicide. Jaafar Omer Ahmed published an article in 2023 on “[s]ocial media psychology and mental health” that found the number of people using social media had increased from 361 million people in 2000 to roughly 3.6 billion people in 2016. Ahmed found that the most popular social media platform, in ways of use, was Facebook in 2016 with “1.71 billion monthly active users.” Then in 2018 he conducted another survey that found 68% of US adults had a Facebook account, with 75% of them using it daily. Ahmed also found that 78% o...