I am researching drug addiction, specifically the opioid crisis in Utah.

I hope that by
raising awareness, some things will be changed. Opioids should be used in medicine only as a
last resort. It is also essential that we turn our focus from punishment to treatment and
resources to help combat addiction.

Park, A., & Moakley, P. (2017). The Life of an Addict. TIME Magazine, 190(21), 40–47. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=12613
4870&site=eds-live

Summary: Alice Park, a writer and editor for TIME Magazine, shares statistics about opioid
addiction, in the article “The Life of an Addict,”published in 2017. Park wrote the article in
response to a video that went viral of a couple who had overdosed. She claims that the video is
astonishing because there are two people lying in the street in New York City, close to death,
and nobody cares or notices. She goes on to explain that there are “2.1 Million Americans who
are addicted to opioids,” this number is not talked about enough. Park continues to explain how
important it is to make more people aware of these aweing statistics. She also explains the
importance of rehab and treatment facilities.

Reflection: This article is told in a viewpoint from someone who has not personally been
affected by drugs, but is able to look at the facts and notice that something needs to change.
This article fits into the debate by arguing that there is not enough being done by anyone, in
response to the opioid crisis. Alice park uses logos to her advantage. She gives a lot of
statistics, that most people are probably not aware of. She also included some other’s stories in
her article, which included a lot of pathos. Her audience is directed more at people who can
actually do something to help. This source is credible because it included a lot of citations and
references to where it got its facts. It is also in TIME magazine, which is a pretty well-known and
trusted resource.

Public Affairs. (2019, September 4). What is the U.S. Opioid Epidemic? Retrieved December 9, 2019,
from https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html.

Summary: The HHS, The United States Department of Health & Human Services, talk about the
opioid epidemic in the 2019 article, “What is the U.S. Opioid Epidemic.” The HHS starts the
article by talking about how the opioid crisis first started. They talk about how the increase of
prescription medications led to widespread misuse. The HHS explains that, at first, no one knew
how addictive these medications could be. They next share their 5-point strategy to combat
opioids. They finished by sharing the effects the crisis has on the nation.

Reflection: The viewpoint of this article is through the HHS. They are informing the nation about
what the opioid crisis is. It was overall pretty neutral, and stayed mostly informative. There were
 a few times that they made it clear that something needed to be done about the opioid crisis. This
source fits in the debate because it provides lots of valid information about the article. The article
uses ethos and logos. It uses logos by sharing a lot of statistics. The author is the HHS, ethos is
shown here, because it is such a credible source, people instantly trust and believe what they say.

Rothberg, R. L., & Stith, K. (2018). The Opioid Crisis and Federal Criminal Prosecution. Journal of Law,
Medicine and Ethics, (Issue 2), 292. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=eds
hol.hein.journals.medeth46.34&site=eds-live

Summary: Rachel Rothberg and Kate Stith,authors and professors of law at Yale University,
share information, statistics, and what is being done in regards to the opioid crisis, in the 2018
article, “The Opioid Crisis and Federal Criminal Prosecution.” Rothberg and Stith start by
introducing the article by sharing basic information and facts regarding opioid addiction. They
share lots of statistics and show how much of a growing problem opioid addiction is becoming.
Rothberg and Stith go on to talk about what the criminal system is doing to stop this epidemic.
They talk about the changes that are being made, including more funding for treatment and
rehabilitation. Rothberg and Stith finish by stating that there are things actively being done, and
there is hope for the future.

Reflection: This source represents a neutral viewpoint. The article itself is very objective and
mostly just states the facts. This article helps strengthen the debate because it shows what is
being done, and what still needs to be done in response to the opioid crisis. The article includes
all the rhetorical devices. Rothberg and Stith use logos by using multiple graphs and images as
statistics to strengthen the argument. This source does not use pathos as much as the other
sources, but still shares other peoples experiences to pull at the heartstrings. The article is full
of pages of references and every fact is backed up with evidence of where it was found. This
article was directed at those who are more educated. The source uses a big vocabulary and is
especially pleasing to those who need everything to be backed by evidence. The article was
found in a Harvard journal of law. This makes the source seem very credible.

STELLIN, S. (2018). Turning the Focus from Opioid Addiction to Treatment and Recovery. Nieman
Reports, 72(1), 34–43. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=12818
9538&site=eds-live

Summary: Susan Stellin, a researcher and author of Nieman Reports, talks about the opioid
crisis, and the science behind addiction and treatment, in the article “Turning the Focus from
Opioid Addiction,” published in 2018. Stellin uses other peoples stories and experiences to
demonstrate how some people are able to get out of the drug cycle. She uses a lot of statistics
to show how big the opioid problem is. Stellin talks about how important it is to know how to act
 around, and help addicts. Having once been an addict, Stellin is able to use her knowledge and
others to demonstrate what addiction is, and how to get out of it.

Reflection: This article was super interesting to me because it was written by someone who was
once an addict. The viewpoint is from someone who is trying to help addicts. She is not blaming
those involved with drugs, but is trying to help raise awareness and address to the public what
we should be doing about it. The author argues that the public and the government should be
doing more to help create programs and provide more resources to those struggling with
addiction. The article contains a lot of ethos, pathos, and also uses logos. Since there are a lot
of people’s stories about addiction, that includes a lot of pathos. Stellin also uses ethos by
talking about how she was a drug addict. Everything she says is first hand experience, making it
obvious that she knows what she’s talking about.

Utah Department of Health, (November 1, 2016). Utah’s Opioid Crisis. Utah Business, 34(11), 28.
Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=11978
5290&site=eds-live

Summary: The Utah Department of Health shared facts about the opioid crisis in Utah, on
November 1, 2016, in the PSA, “Utah’s Opioid Crisis.” They share statistics about the opioid
crisis, but specifically in Utah. The Utah Department of Health show how much of a growing
problem the opioid crisis is becoming. They share facts that are specific to Utah.

Reflection: The source was formatted like a public service announcement. It was written from a
neutral viewpoint, because it mostly just shared facts. The author only directly uses logos. The
whole “article” is a bunch of facts. The reason I used this source is because it was focusing
specifically in Utah. This source gave me most of my statistics that I will use in my project. The
source is credible because it is from the Utah Department of Health.

Conclusion: Through the research I have done, I have learned a lot more about Opioid Addiction,
specifically in Utah. There was not just one source I could have used to do my whole project,
but with all the sources, I was able to form a cohesive project. Each source focused on its own
specific topic. With this, I was able to use all of them to create the best project. Each source
contributed to my project. Each source gave me a new perspective, and gave me new insights.
Every source was a different kind of writing,(informational, real life examples, etc.). Now that I
am completely done with my project, I have answered most of my questions, but there are still
other questions I have. I hope that as time goes on, opioid addiction and overdose rates will go
down significantly.