1. Summary-​To help bring awareness to my issue, I am proposing a documentary.

This
would be an informational documentary, explaining the dangers of abusing prescription
medication, where the problem stems, how to avoid it with yourself and acquaintances,
and personal stories and experiences.

2. Audience-​I would like for the documentary to be played for high/middle schools and
rehabilitation centers. Showing it to teenagers is good because they are young and
impressionable, and if we can educate them about the dangers of misusing
prescriptions, we can stop addiction before it starts. For rehabilitation members, it’s a
little too late for that, so I want to show that they are still human and capable of being
loved, and how they can better themselves and the community.

3. Description-​The opioid crisis is getting worse and worse as the years go on, and it’s
affecting every generation. In the u.s alone, overdose death rates are historically higher
than ever before, with an estimated 46 overdose deaths per day, most of which come
from prescription opioid. So, how do we fight this growing epidemic? I say our best path
is education. We have to look at where opioid addiction starts, and try to put a barrier
there.

The beginning part of my documentary would focus on empathizing with the issue,
starting with explaining the issue itself and who it affects. Then would be a personal
story/connection of why this matters to me, with stories and experiences others have had
with the issue. This would be a more emotional part of the film, to draw in and make the
viewer care about the issue.

The next part would be a more in depth explanation of the issue itself, and would mainly
talk about where addictions stem- the overprescription aspect of it. It would show
statistics of how many Americans of all ages are prescribed many different medications,
then touch on dependency, like what it means to be addicted and how to tell if you or
someone you know is suffering from addiction, and how to best prevent addiction (what
to do and not do with prescription medication, proper disposal, etc.) A main focus of this
part would be educating the public on only taking opioids when you actually need them,
and how to decipher if you really do.

Following this would be the ‘scary’ part of documentary. It would include the short and
long term effects of opioids on your brain on body; whether you abuse the medication or
take it regularly, there’s almost always negative side effects. Then, there would be the
rates of overdose deaths and just how many of them are attributed to prescription
medication. The main goal of this part is to show the dangers of opioids, especially when
you abuse them.
Preventing addiction isn’t the only way to solve the opioid epidemic, however. The next
part of my documentary would acknowledge that, despite the efforts to stop addiction
before it starts, addiction is still a big part of the problem and these people need our
help, too. It would reiterate the fact that addicts are still human beings, worthy of being
loved and lifted up. This section would go over treatments of addiction, ways of changing
your mindset to not be dependant on pills, and how to move on with your life after
addiction. It would emphasize the simple joys of living life in your brain’s natural state.

The last part of my film would be about alternative medicine. It would show ways of
dealing with pain on your own, or just more naturally. There are many different
alternatives, or else how would people have survived before pills?