Over 20 million Americans above the age of 12 have an addiction, and 90% of those with an addiction began drinking, smoking, or using illicit drugs before the age of 18. Many of these addictions are products of peer pressure and students attempting to be the life of the party. In Cole Meyers “Addiction” he shows us how the continued use of drugs can give one a short term gains to increase his or her social status; however, in the long term, addiction strips the individual of his or her identity.…
Hart is able to connect with readers on the hardships of life and how a single choice can influence your entire life. I originally chose this book to inform myself on drugs in today’s society and what influences the use of them. After reading the book, I was able to understand what causes drug use and how what we learn by the media is somewhat incorrect. This memoir is truly well written and includes a unique way of writing that continuously keeps the reader active and engaged in the…
Life is full of obstacles, some that just require positivity and perseverance and others that require that and actual actions. They affect our lives in many ways but usually they are set upon us so that we can prove to ourselves what we are capable of. However, we do not see that until we had overcome it.…
The effect of addiction have consumed billions of individuals all over the world, not only consume but also killed. Individuals have relied on drugs to fill the void in their life that is missing. The addict is not only hurting themselves from the drug use but their families, friends, and their community. In this paper, it will give a description of a 21-year-old male named Anthony. Anthony started using marijuana at the age of 20, trying to hide the pain from the death of his sister. Eventually, marijuana was not enough to get Anthony the extra high he wanted which Anthony made the choice to try another drug and eventually it became the love of his life.…
Reading two different accounts of the story of a drug addict allows much room for comparison between the two. In the case of David and Nic Sheff’s books, I was surprised at how much similarity there was between the two; they agreed on most points and there was no striking discontinuity in their stories. There is, however, a significant difference in the perspectives from which the two are told. Naturally, Nic, as the addict son, takes on a more self-centered view. In David’s book it is clear that Nic’s addiction is the one central driving force in their family life, especially in David’s daily life. In Nic’s book, however, his relationship with his father and the rest of his family is only one of the several focal points of the book; Nic is also preoccupied with girlfriends, friends, and his sponsor.…
The world is full of people striving to be the best they can be. When one finds themselves far from the social idea of “perfect” there is a strong need to improve. While self-improvement is hard, it is also a necessary part of life, setting goals for how one wants their life to turn out. Addiction is a huge obstacle in the way of perfection it can destroy lives when the person with the addiction does not want to change. In the memoir A Million Little Pieces the writer and main character, James Frey, leads a drug addicted life that he turns around in a Minnesota rehab center, demonstrating that self-improvement is the way to salvation. This proves to be a main theme in this work, all throughout showing how he goes from barely functioning to a person full of life and hope for a better future. Frey’s improvement as a person springs from his self-reliant attitude, acceptance of pain, and support from family and family, leaving his rehabilitation experience successful.…
The novels, Tweak by Nic Sheff and Beautiful Boy by David Sheff have shed an enormous amount of light on a topic that most of the population tries to avoid and pretend doesn’t exist: drug addiction. These novels are both compelling and haunting. They leave the reader anxiously turning each page, unable to read quick enough. Both sides of a drug addiction story, the addicts and the families of addicts, are told with deep sincerity and powerful insight. Because of these novels countless of people have a changed perspective towards addiction, sobriety, and strength. Addicts are not solely comprised of their addiction and addiction does not equal strength. People should not be ashamed to talk about their life story, Nic Sheff explained that “[He’s] come to discover that holding on to secrets about who [he is] and where [he came] from is toxic. [His] secrets will kill [him]” (Sheff, N., 2009, p.322). These novels have challenged society’s “hush, hush” mentality about addiction, and have brought an intimate insight into how addicts and families of addicts think and feel. This information will greatly change addiction treatment, therapy, and the Social Work profession.…
Overcoming adversity means overcoming a hard time or circumstance and moving forward in a positive way. The novel, Parvana’s Journey was written by Deborah Ellis and published in 2002 and the film, Rabbit Proof Fence was directed by Phillip Noyce and released in 2002. Parvana’s Journey is fiction yet based in reality and it’s about a young Afghani girl who walks across war torn Afghanistan searching for her family. Rabbit Proof Fence is non-fiction and it’s about three young half caste girls who escaped from a settlement camp and walk over 2000km to go back to their home. In both texts, children face many adversities but they overcome adversities through determination and the sheer will to survive to meet their family.…
Everyone in the world has had to overcome some kind of obstacles in their life. Obstacles can be a very small or even a very big thing in our everyday lives. For example, an obstacle could be if you have enough money to buy milk to having to overcome being homeless and struggling to get through life all alone. People typically learn from their own life obstacles or maybe even from reading about someone else’s obstacles in their life. Nobody wants to have to overcome any obstacles or have any troubles in our lives but it is just a part of making our lives better from what it was like before. I have learned about many obstacles from many books and movies such as: The Mighty, Of Mice and Men, and A Child Called “It”.…
In all aspects of life there are different obstacles that we have to overcome but overcoming this adversity is different for everyone.…
In our daily lives, too often do we judge others based solely on their appearance; whether it's by the clothes that a person is wearing or even the color of their skin. The essence of Amy Tan's Mother Tongue and Peter Marin's Helping and Hating the Homeless is that in society, we are quick to judge others, categorizing them based upon pre-assumptions which are hardly true. Chinese American novelist Amy Tan shares her most intimate experiences of growing up with a mother who did not speak fluent English, and how she witnessed first hand how this shaped the treatment her mother received from others. Marin discusses the contradictory views that society has on the homeless, immediately dismissing the negative stereotypes about the homeless. These negative stereotypes are portrayed by the American society, as well as the media, who consistently portray people as they wish.…
Dania Reynolds, “Former Addict Speaks Out About His Past Experiences”, www.covecenterforrecovery.com website, Original author, published by Cove Center For Recovery at 10:06 AM , accessed on October 10th,…
David Sheff, a husband and father of three, never would have guessed that he would have to surrender his life to his methamphetamine addicted son, Nic. Sheff, an author and writer, reflects on Nic’s entire life, searching for a possible motive for why his young, youthful son would want to try meth. Sheff takes the reader through his long detrimental journey of his son’s addiction and truly illustrates the struggles experienced by families and friends of addicts.…
Albert Schweitzer has said, “One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.” When you beat the obstacles you face, then you can win any battle that approaches you. When it’s a lifelong battle, however, the obstacles seem to never go away. Since I was little, I have had trouble with my vision. Being almost legally blind has made my life difficult, especially in sports and school.…
Overcoming a struggle is normal for everyone. People should not be ashamed of what they are not good at; we have to look at the fact that each individual is not going to become good at anything so easily like we want it to be. It is always good for a person that wants to really learn something they believe they will be become stronger at. It takes take time and patience. I personally believe for the individuals that are the ones that can’t accept the fact when someone makes a mistake they are not understandable. Dealing with difficult people is very common in life, sometimes we have to figure out and understand the ones who tries to criticize others-what makes them behave the way they do. I think being assertive is always the right thing to do. I’m going to discuss what Sedaris’s obstacles in this essay were and also discuss more about my few obstacles that was related to Sedaris, personally.…