Ignite Speech

1. Who here knows what a drug addict is or has ever heard of one? I want to share with you guys
my experience with my dad.

2. Before I start, I want you to know what the google definition is of a drug addict, it says, “A
person addicted to an illegal drug

3. This is completely false, as a person can also get addicted to a drug which is given to them by
professionals. Such as doctors. Whether the drugs are legal or illegal, the use for them is to ease
pain.

4. So, about 10 years ago my dad was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, an illness that isn’t
quite common, nor is it easily treatable. This was the beginning of a very difficult time for me
and my family

5. So what Pancreatitis is, is when that little highlighted area, the pancreas, becomes inflamed. The
result of this is an extreme amount of pain, to the point where it becomes unbearable. So, to
cope with the pain, my dad was given opioids.

6. The way this illness works is that at random times you could be attacked, where the pain starts
shooting and you become paralyzed in pain. And my dad had an attack in Florida when we were
visiting Disneyworld. Yes, in the place where magic happens

7. Because of this our trip got cut short, and most of my family and I went back to BC while my
mom and dad stayed in Florida. My dad was in the hospital for 2 weeks with my mom right
beside him.

8. When he came back from the hospital, the doctors here prescribed him even more opioids to
cope with the previous pain, as well as attempting to prevent another attack from happening.
This was the beginning of a terrible opioid addiction.

9. The amount of pills my dad was taking per day is absolutely disorienting. My dad was taking 52
pills every 24 hours. And for what? Just to cope with the pain not to abolish it
 10. Due to the mixture of pain and pills, my dad's personality had completely changed. He had a
noticeably short temper, where he would blow up at us for the smallest things. My mom had
put up with my dad for the longest time because she knew that wasn’t my real dad

11. Alongside short tempers, there are tremendous amounts of side effects that come with takings
these drugs, such as, memory loss, loss of appetite, dizziness, weight loss, and even going
unconscious.

12. So, my dad had a very bad habit of sleeping at times like 5 or 6 in the morning and he’s a chain-
smoker, so he would sit outside on the patio, working and smoking. And some mornings my
mom would find him unconscious on his chair.

13. The doctors had no idea of what to do, due to the fact that they rarely handle cases like my dad.
So, for 5 years my dad was addicted to these pills and was still in pain. They had no effect on him
whatsoever.

14. Fortunately, there was a recent cure that came out, which stems from a root found in Africa,
that’s a whole different story. Anyways, my dad jumped on the opportunity. He went through
the process and had been cured a few years ago.

15. When he came back from the treatment, he was a completely different person. So much more
relaxed and no snapping at every small situation. It was a bit scary at first, I'll admit. But it was
so worth it.

16. For the first time in about 10 years, I finally got the opportunity to see my real dad, how he is
without the drugs affecting his every decision.

17. What this experience showed me was the drastic impact drugs have on a human. If a person is
using, the person you see is not who they really are. And I can say that with complete
confidence because I went through it firsthand.

18-19. But I also want to remind everyone why my dad and others use these drugs. Its not so they can
have this out of world feeling, or just because they can. Life is painful, and everyone doesn't
have an outlet of someone they can talk to or get help from. At times people turn to things like
this, and who are we to judge anyone for wanting to feel pain free? We are all so privileged to
 be able to go through such a caring school environment, and we most definitely take it for
granted.

20. All in all, make sure to educate others on topics like this because change only comes with effort
and compromise. Thank you