Oral Presentation

Speech: Harmful Effects of Drugs

It’s not worth it! Imagine experiencing a few minutes of high resulting in a lifetime

of sorrow, pain, and poor health among many other difficulties. Is it wise to choose

lengthy periods of pain for the sake of small moments of pleasure? There are several

effects of drugs on a person’s life. A person’s personal life, physical health, and mental

health can all be affected.

Effect on personal life

People who use drugs often become irritable and annoyed. This will no doubt,

affect their relationships with their family members, colleagues, and friends. According

to Natasha Tracy (2021) in an online article, “drug abusers choose drugs over all else;

that includes family and friends.” The choice to use drugs often results in the loss of

friends and family members. Some users would even steal from their relatives to

support their habit.

After a while drug use begins to affect a person’s performance on the job or if it’s

a student’s performance at school. Reduced work productivity or loss of a job will cause

less income and the person will lose his financial status; while the student can lose his

academic status due to poor grades. In my opinion, it’s like a severely lactose intolerant

person eating ice cream for a few minutes knowing that it will certainly affect the body.

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Effect on physical health

These effects are the most dangerous on a person’s life because they can

become so severe and result in death. Physical effects on health are vast, Natasha

Tracey (2021) lists some of them as chest and lung pain, impotence, diseases from

needle sharing, abnormal heart rate, and blood pressure. Drug users often neglect

proper nutrition to support their habit. “Why buy food when I could feel nice?” is often

their thought. This causes them to have a weakened immune system as well as being at

greater risk for weight loss, malnutrition, and infections. Other common effects include

brain damage, nausea, abdominal pain, heart conditions, and increased strain on the

liver causing liver damage, seizures, strokes, and lung disease.

Effects on mental health

Oche Otorkpa (2013) “Addiction is like a curse and until it is broken, its victim will

perpetually remain in the shackles of bondage. Repeated use of most drugs eventually

leads to full-blown addiction. This is usually when society begins to refer to such a

person as a ‘junkie’.

Mental health complications will surely result in most drug users' lives. They
become prone to mental illnesses such as depression, psychosis, anxiety, and other
disorders. Problems with memory, attention, decision making, and even a person’s
mood behavior, and cognitive ability could change. For example, the use of marijuana
could cause someone to feel anxious or paranoid and some may experience
hallucinations. These complications coupled with the isolation one may receive from
friends and family may surely lead to some form of insanity.

I end with this online quote from Sarah Kane (2013) “There’s not a drug on earth that

can make life meaningful.”

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