Essay on My Attitudes About Psychoactive Substances

A course in drug education is a significant course to enhance personal growth. I took the class as an elective subject. I needed to improve my analytical reasoning skills and broaden my familiarity through the study of humanities. The class has educated me a lot about the consequences and risks of abusing alcohol and other psychoactive substances. The course has enabled me to know what psychoactive substances costs to the society, the difference between legal and illegal drugs, drug combinations, health effects of the substances, abuse of specific substances as well as the difference between drug use, abuse, and addiction.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Besides, I have learned that the psychoactive substances can change an individuals mood, thoughts, and consciousness. More so, I have discovered that the drugs may result in social problems, in either long or short term. Some of the social issues include relationship breakups, arrests, aggressive behaviors, and neglect of work as well as family duties. More to the point, they educated me that psychoactive drugs lead to drug dependency, which affects the brain severely. Moreover, I am aware that the dependency is a learning process and it affects communication skills.

Main Body of the Paper

Through direct and observational learning from past to present, I have learned a lot about psychoactive substances. For instance, in regards to media education, the exposure to information through TV, movies, music, and videos have opened my eyes to the harmful effects that drugs can have on an individual. Some of the movies that I have watched depict a character that is very successful but has an active addiction to psychoactive substances. The drugs end up destroying their career, health, and they have no way to provide for their family. Martin & Anette (2016) assert that users of psychoactive substances chose it because the alleged risk of legal trouble from using illicit drugs is better than the perceived risk of severe health issues. Even so, a recent video documentary on Investigation Discovery (IDX) showed a prosperous man, who had an addiction to alcohol. He used to carry the alcohol at work in a water bottle and drink it throughout the day. He ended up losing his job and later fell into depression. His life was so miserable that he decided to end his life. The documentary taught me the greatest lesson of life, which is to stay away from psychoactive substances.

Furthermore, on the ground of social education, I have observed a lot from the people around me. Specifically, I witnessed some aggressive and uncontrolled behavior with one of my peers around our neighborhood. He never enjoyed going to school and used to hang around with some gang members selling drugs. Even so, he used to take it himself without the knowledge of his parents. He had adverse behavioral problems and was in and out of trouble most of the time. His parents became aware of their sons indulgence in psychoactive substances, (cocaine, alcohol, and tobacco) and decided to take him to a rehabilitation facility 100 miles from their home. The overwhelming part is that their son could not handle the withdrawal symptoms that he underwent back at the facility. He checked himself out of the program and went back to his usual activities. After some time, he realized that his health was more precious. He checked himself back to rehabilitation and within a period of 8 months, he was back to normal and decided to continue with his education. I learned a couple of things from him in a way that I used to witness how dependent he was on the drugs and the behaviors he used to exhibit.

On the other hand, in regards to direct learning in the form of formal education, I have learned a lot from my educators. For example, my teachers educated me that drug-dependent individuals have a possibility of suffering from mental illnesses compared to non-dependent people. Great Britain (2016) on the commentary on provisions of Act indicates that the significant effect of psychoactive substances is the brain, which is the major part of the nervous system. Specifically, individuals who have an addiction to tobacco, cocaine, and alcohol tend to suffer from depression compared to non-dependents. On the other hand, my teachers educated me that people can treat or prevent psychoactive drugs through a blend of treatment and behavioral therapies. Again, my teacher taught me that the treatment and prevention programs can result in side effects and unpleasant reactions. Similarly, the behavioral therapies aim to help individuals to unlearn their drug behavior, develop ways to abstain from the drugs, and learn how to control their cravings. My educators emphasized on the notion that the greater a person uses drugs the higher their risk of becoming dependent. Ideally, my teachers have helped me a lot to understand how psychoactive drugs do more harm than good to an individual.

Closing of the Paper

The most aspect that influenced my attitudes about psychoactive substances from the past to the present is the behavioral problems that people exhibit when they use the drugs. On the contrary, the least aspect is the self-reliance that people have due to the drugs.

I plan to deal with the topics of alcohol, tobacco, legal, and illegal drugs with my children or other young people in my family or friends family in a way that I will educate them on the negativities of using the particular type of drugs. I intend to explain to them how harmful they are to human health and its dependency.

Overall, through the course, I have learned that I should value myself and not indulge in the use of psychoactive substances. I have thought about my future in regards to children and my profession and come to know that I have to stay out of drugs.

References

Great Britain. (2016). Chap 2 - Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 - Explanatory Notes. London:

The Stationary Office.

Martin, A., & Anette, K. (2016). Aspects of Substance Displacement - From Illicit Drugs to Novel Psychoactive Substances. Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy, vol. 7, no. 3.