Makenzie Lemmons

HLTH 1050
Application Paper
I would say that what Ive learned most from taking HLTH 1050: Life,
Society and Drugs, is the prevalence and dangers of drug use and abuse in
the world. I have also been able to learn about some of the effects of specific
drugs. Before this class I was slightly aware that there were issues with drugs
such as the use of heroin and cocaine, but I hadnt considered dangers of
even more common and benign drugs, and their ever present appearance in
society today.
One of the first things I learned in the course was the way that drugs
are perceived today. For example, cigarette smoking is still shown in media in
a positive light, despite the well-known health risks associated with smoking
cigarettes. Along with smoking, alcohol is often glamorized in media and
portrayed as fun and exciting, especially for those who are young. Beer
commercials are the epitome of this action of showing alcohol as
entertaining; despite the serious issues of alcoholism and alcohol abuse
(Levinthal, 2014). From this I know to not let the way media portrays drugs
persuade me into thinking that their glamorized depiction is an accurate one.
Next, I was able to learn about the effects of drugs on the mind and
body. There are a few drugs that I was able to learn about individually and
specifically. One of these drugs is cocaine. From the course I was able to
learn that cocaine is dangerous and more commonly used than I had

previously thought. In a study, it was found that 92% of 50 randomly

selected and tested one-dollar bills from five U.S. cities had been
contaminated with detectable levels of cocaine (Levinthal, 2014). That just
goes to show how prevalent cocaine really is. Something I found interesting
about cocaine is that it prevents dopamine from being recycled (Cocaine,
2015). Learning that helped me understand why there is a crash after the
high. Being able to better understand the drug helps me to understand
why it does what it does to people, and also helps me know with even more
surety that I dont ever want to be involved with cocaine.
A category of drugs I learned about that I knew very little about before
was hallucinogens. I had heard of some hallucinogens before, but I didnt
know about their effects and history. I knew that drugs were prevalent
among hippie culture, but I wasnt aware that the drugs they were using
were hallucinogens. It was also interesting to learn that hallucinogens alter
a persons perceptions of reality and produce hallucinations, which can either
be pleasurable or frightening (What are Hallucinogens, 2010). I have a
hard time understanding why someone would willingly choose to have
hallucinations, but I guess some people welcome it because they think
anything will be better than real life. Also, as for the hippies and similar,
some people may find hallucinogens as a way to increase creativity or to
have spiritual experiences. As for me, now that I have learned about them, I
never want to take a hallucinogen. Real life may be hard, but trying to
escape it does not make things any better, and there are dangers associated

with hallucinogens that are not worth the risk.

Another drug that I was able to learn about in more depth was alcohol.
I chose to write a paper and make a presentation in the class about
alcoholism and what we learn about it from the movie Saving Mr. Banks.
From these assignments I got the chance to research and learn more about
some of the effects of alcoholism. Specifically, I learned that some people
drink alcohol as a way of coping with stress, which is known as symptomatic
drinking (Levinthal, 2014). I also learned a little about the effects of having a
parent that is an alcoholic. Children of alcoholics are truly affected by their
parents actions, and they may struggle with some things in life because of
it, like social interaction (Sihyun and Schepp, 2014). One more thing I
learned about is the health detriments caused by alcoholism. Alcohol is a
dangerous drug and I know that I will benefit greatly from avoiding alcohol as
I have thus far in my life.
Overall, I think that the greatest lesson that Ive been able to learn
from this class is that drugs are not worth it. They can seriously injure us
mentally and physically, or even kill us, and they are not the answer to
solving lifes problems. I also have been able to realize that drug users arent
bad people; they are just not making the kind of life choices that lead to a
healthy and happy life. I hope that I can find a way to help others that I
encounter who are struggling with drugs, even if I can only help in a small
way. I realize more than ever that drugs are a serious problem in todays
society and I plan to stay away from them and do what I can to help others

be a little better educated about drugs.

References
Cocaine. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/cocaine
Levinthal, C. (2014). Chronic Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In Drugs,
Behavior, and Modern Society (8th ed.). Pearson.
Sihyun, P., & Schepp, K. G. (2014). A Systematic Review of Research on
Children of Alcoholics: Their Inherent Resilience and
Vulnerability. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 23(2), 1-10.
doi:10.1007/s10826-014-9930-7

What are Hallucinogens? (2010, January 1). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
http://www.utahpsych.org/substanceabuse/hallucinogens.htm