Life Society and Drugs
Crystal McCann
HLTH 1050
Reflective Essay
12/1/13
Taking this class has provided me with knowledge about several different types of drugs, addictions and ways that people deal with them. We started the semester discussing addiction, and how people cope with it, by watching a video of Steve-o, from the T.V. show, Jackass. This was interested because it was nice to learn about how different people deal with addiction, and what their struggles are as well as how they go about overcoming those struggles. I learned a lot more than I thought I would from watching that. Another thing, that was very influential, was the comments section of the class. I liked being able to look at other people’s reactions, and input on each assignment. I thought it was educational to be able to take from someone else’s learning perspective and to obtain alternative knowledge and ideas about the assignments as well as how they were able to perceive other peoples opinions. I really liked that this class was online, because I felt there was a sense of openness more so than in the class room.
Another thing I really learned from and appreciated, was our weekly assignments. These we great because, it provided another element of learning. We looked up different drugs/addictions each week. I liked this because, it really gave us the freedom to analyze each of these drugs and explore different realms of information. Like the use of Marijuana, the fact that it’s a Schedule I drug, blew my mind! Leaning about which websites to research addiction clinics in my area, as well as all of the websites that contain drug use information, Its really good stuff. I’m sure I will go to these sites in the future just to browse and see what kinds of crazy things people are getting addicted to in the future, and the laws, etc. I am planning to become a prosecuting Attorney, and I really find information like that very interesting for educational reasons. I never really knew too much about bath salts and we learned about that, which was interesting because, you never know what kinds of crazy things people are becoming addicted to. I remember hearing about it a little bit on the news, but I feel like this was a great class to keep you informed as well as afraid to do some of these drugs (for younger students who may feel the need to experiment) We learned about Uppers, and downers like, prescription drug use, Cocaine and Crystal Meth. Also alcohol, and how it is indeed a drug and its effects on people’s lives, whether you’re drinking yourself, or know someone who does it was really interesting to learn about the facts; like how alcohol affects the brain, how many people are killed each year from Drunk driving compared to those killed from Marijuana. It really helped expand my thinking on so many levels. My favorite things I learned from this class were the most interactive aspects. I really liked the Film assignment. The beginning of semester up until a few days before the assignment I really wanted to write the paper on “Requiem for a dream” which is a film that focuses predominantly on Heroin. I decided against that, because the film I ended up writing the paper on, focused more on drugs or all kinds, and the fact that drug abuse doesn’t just occur in poor, lower class families that it also can and does occur in wealthy, high-class families. I really wanted to use the assignment to show the truth about things as they really are, to my best of my ability. Because I have a family member who struggles with the use of Crystal Meth and is currently living in the Utah State Prison as a result of that. I really enjoyed the presentation part of the class. I felt it provided me with a reason to learn about this drug and maybe to even teach someone about it, and why it is so awful for not just the addict, but their kids and families as well. This was definitely a great class, I really wish they would make it a requirement class like, Math and English in High Schools and Colleges. I feel it is our moral responsibility to be aware of the kinds of drugs and addictions our there, even if we are not directly affected by them, someone we know is, or could be in the future. If nothing else, it will provide us with a clearer perspective on what other people within our society are dealing with, to have a better understanding of our society can definitely make a difference.