*this is my expository paper in Communication Arts 2*
1. Depressants were once used for medical purposes.
Before it became a constant and instant hit in the underground market, Depressants were used for its “medical” purposes. It is used to allay anxiety, induce sleep and relieve stress. Also called sedatives,
downers, anti-anxiety, tranquilizers, hypnotics, and anxiolytics, Depressants are usually prescribed, and taken with outmost care. [1] It is commonly used on patients experiencing tremendous amount of pain and discomfort. Some examples of depressants are: Alcohol, Heroin and Barbiturates. The manufacture of this drug soon appeared in the black market, as the effects of it kept users coming back for more.
2. Depressants, now an addiction, enter the underground market as a big seller.
In the late 1960’s it became clear that the social cost of depressants was beginning to outweigh the medical benefits. [2] Drug problem was almost inevitable at this point. Products of pharmaceutical companies are often diverted to the illegal market, at it brought big paydays for the pushers. Not only is this happening in America, but also in our own country. [3] 2 milligram capsules of Valium costs $900 in these markets. [4] Depressant users ranged from the poorest to the richest, with the biggest names in Music, Arts, Media and Film almost seemed to promote its use.
1. The Psychedelic Era Icons’ admission of their use implied that the use of the substance was acceptable and safe.
The Woodstock Festival, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and the like, this was the 1970 Psychedelic Era. They promoted peace, love, freedom for social restrictions, anti-organized religion, and anti-conformist culture. They openly used depressants, LSDs, Cannabis as part of their movement. Popular and influential icons like The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles[5] admitted of using
prohibited drugs while in recording sessions, claiming to be more “productive” and it gave them a “distinct, new sound” (this would later on be called Psychedelic Rock or simply Psychedelia). This would be imitated by their fans, thinking it would be okay to take such, which they would later feel the real effects of the prohibited drugs. [6]
1. The addiction to the substance and its long term effects caused brain burn out.
Drug dependence is a battle within one self. Its constant intake will destroy the nervous system of the body. One of the best examples is Heroin. National Geographic Channel once aired an episode featuring Heroin (a depressant) addiction in various countries around the world. [7] It revealed the lives of Heroin addicts living in their own world. Dependence on the substance has been their central concern since taking the prohibited drug. Even though Hunger has eaten away their stomachs, they can go on days without any food just to take their daily hit on Heroin. They sell all their belongings and spend all their
money on the drug. Heroin can either be taken by injecting, smoking or inhaling the substance. AIDS is common among Heroin users; they usually share needles when injecting the drug, thus the blood of two or more individuals mix, possibly sharing blood diseases. Other effects of Heroin are withdrawal, drowsiness, hallucinations, constricted pupils, nausea, burn out, coma and brain
damage. [8]
2. Hallucinations, Blurred Vision, Irrational: The Psychological Effects of Depressants.
This is the focus of this paper, the Psychological effects of depressants. Since depressants mainly affect the nervous system, the brain is a victim. Users tend to be irrational, using all the wrong reasons just to defend their beliefs and habits. Their vision is somewhat distorted, often hallucinating or staring into nothingness. They get restless, irrational and irritable, and may go into extreme measures just to feed their habit. Committing crime isn’t far ahead. Numerous reports have been filed about murders, thefts and rapes by drug-induced criminals to innocent civilians.[9] They are unconsciously committing criminal acts because of the drug. And the larger the intake, the closer death draws near.
3. The Ultimate price of Depressant overdose: Death draws nearer, almost inevitable.
Extreme depressant users have a certain blank stare that shows their emotions: blank. By this time, the drug has greatly damaged the host’s brain, killing emotions and reactions. Slurred speech, altered perception, and slowed heart rate are other effects of depressants. The drug causes the nervous and cardio systems to works irregularly; sometimes slowing down, sometimes speeding up, also possibly to stop anytime. Deaths caused by depressants are piling up, constantly rising in number. There are users as young as 15 and as old as 35, users beyond the latter age usually die of overdose. Is there a cure of this addiction? Addicts can’t seem to withdraw from the habit. They feel the pain of the intake, but they feel greater pain without it. The only way out is rehabilitation.
D. What can the government, the church and the person itself do to prevent the use of depressants and a cure for the dependence.
1. The person’s will power; his main source of strength to fight the addiction.
I always have always believed that Change should start from within. Change can be achieved with greater ease by starting from oneself. Same is true for the drug dependents and addicts, changing one self should be a conscious and sincere effort. It should be an honest, focused, determined battle to avoid any temptation of trying it again. Drug dependence is hard to break, as all habits are. It requires discipline, patience and self-control. There really isn’t an easy way out; it’s a step by step procedure. The government and community can be a great help in solving the addiction.2. The community and the person’s can help motivate the person to stop the habit.
A person’s friends, community and family can be his/her support system towards rehabilitation and positive change. The environment that surrounds the person greatly influences the way the person thinks, acts, feels, moves and speaks. Negative Peer pressure is one of the leading causes of drug addiction, teen pregnancy, smoking, crime, and others. If so, then Positive peer pressure can do the opposite; promote peace, clean living, a vice-free life, a positive attitude. The environment must also help the individual to change, to be a better person. The Philippines being a Christian nation, the church can also help the “lost sheep” by guiding them to the right path. The government must also play an active role in shaping the lives of its citizens.
3. The Government and The Church play an important role in shaping the values of the person.
We have seen it all over the news: anti-drug laws, drug raids, rehabilitation programs, and the like. It has been decades, but the drug problem just keeps on getting worse. Some countries, like the Netherlands and United Kingdom have taken the easy (but wrong) way out, that is by making depressant drugs legal for use. Afghanistan, for instance, is one of the leading manufacturers of opium poppy, the substance used for creating Heroin. They refuse to destroy the Poppy farms for it brings income to their country, this is done without considering the thousands of lives being affected everyday by the distribution of Heroin. Thousands of new addicts appear, thousands lay fighting for control, thousands die of overdose. The World leaders aren’t doing enough to fight the problem. If not given attention, this could get out of control. The church can also lend a hand by giving spiritual advices and other related activities to fight the drug problem. We need to do everything we can to battle this problem. What a better world this would be if the problem was addressed to. If this doesn’t stop, lives will be lost and the addiction won’t be rehabilitated._________________________________________
Notes and Sources
[1] http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/drugs_alcohol/know_drugs_depressants.html
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressants
[3] The Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 12 & 16, 2008.
[4] http://philosophy.princeton.edu/.tri/?xanax-bar-street-price
[5] http://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/characters_drug_use.shtml
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie
[7] http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3099/Overview
[8] http://faculty.valpo.edu/jnelson/AbnormalWebPage/Notes/SubAbPP/sld012.htm
[9] http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/Anatomy-False-Murder-Confession.htm
[10] http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900989,00.html?promoid=googlep
*some were taken from my own opinion, knowledge, family experiences and research on the said topic. The National Geographic Channel, Wikipedia, Daily periodicals, News and Current events also helped a lot in giving information needed. Some sources are not stated for it may appear irrelevant, repetitive or unecessary altogether.
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