Reflection Blog

                          Reflection Blog Post 

This project has been an eye opening experience. From the start, I was overwhelmed and nervous but when you’re passionate about something it doesn’t really feel like work. By itself, the project seemed too big to be done on my own but the weekly units kept me on track and made it seem much more manageable. As my mom always says: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

When I look back on this project, I’ve done a lot of work. I went into it intimidated and came out feeling like I have applied full effort into something that I’m passionate about and got an end product that I’m happy with. One example of this is the fact that I was intimidated about talking to addicts and had a couple of failed attempts. By the end, I just took a deep breath and did it. The long conversations came easily and to my surprise, I didn’t struggle at all. I overcame the mental barrier because by that point I was too invested in the topic to back out. 

Other lessons learned were how to realistically adjust a final goal as time goes on. For example, my first goal was to create a 10-15 minute video which would be capable of being a public service announcement warning people of the danger of drugs. As I got into it, I realized the topic was much bigger than I first thought and the people I was interviewing had no real interest in sustaining conversations for more than a few minutes. The topic is also much more complex than I originally thought. From the nature of the drugs to the psychology behind them, I simply didn’t have the resources or knowledge to produce my original end goal. Social and cultural influences such as homelessness and mental illness also play a big part in this issue and this requires expertise beyond my understanding. To truly tackle this topic and every complex factor involved, it could take years and years of research, first hand experience and education, things that a 16 year old simply doesn’t have yet. As a result, I have a much greater appreciation for those who do not oversimplify the topic. 

From a moral standpoint, it’s easier to just say, “They’re worthless druggies and it’s all their fault” but in reality that’s not the case. As I reflect on this topic, I also see a level of guilt in those that claim the homeless addicts on the street are just worthless druggies. This might be related to living with high standards of life while stepping over the people struggling with this epidemic. It’s easier to judge and dismiss them than it is to address the topic and see it for what it really is. Even though they seem almost in a different world, these people are still human beings, deserving of equal treatment. They still have brains, feelings, at one point parents that loved them, maybe even kids. No matter how we perceive them they’re still going through great suffering and deserve kindness and compassion. We can’t just sit back and judge claiming that we made “better decisions” when we may have just had better luck.

I find this topic so interesting that I’m sure I’ll continue learning about it. I’m interested in getting a better understanding of how this kind of thing happens and what can be done to prevent it. I don’t think I’ll continue videotaping or creating physical projects but in the right environment, I’d definitely be willing to learn more from people with personal experience. 

Blog Post:  Narrative

By Will McCabe 

Working on this project has been a rollercoaster of emotions. When I first started, I thought it would be a piece of cake because I am interested in the topic and I find it fascinating what large pharmaceutical companies will do for money. The whole issue of drug use and abuse is intriguing and overwhelming. I’m curious about what drugs do to your brain that would make it worth throwing you life away for. 

This week, I’d like to talk about my first attempt to communicate with former drug addicts. The day started off well with great intentions. My research was almost complete and I had my interview questions written out. All I had to do was find someone who had experienced the epidemic firsthand. That day, I was at the Shasta Public Library downtown to study for my other subjects and realized that it would be the perfect place, or so I thought. If any of you have ever been to the Redding Library, you know that it often feels like an episode of “The Walking Dead” with hundreds of homeless and drug addicts loitering and causing problems. Immediately when I got out of my car I smelt the sugary, musky, of methamphetamine (Meth in use smells like burning sugar.) I’ve done enough research on other drugs to know that the effects of meth are not anything that you want to be anywhere near so I crossed that right off my list. 

I was expecting that the library itself would have a lot of sober individuals who might be willing to help out with my project. This was not the case. In fact, I saw very few who looked approachable in any way, shape or form. Although this project and my english grade mean a lot to me, my safety is my number one priority. I worked on my other subjects for about 2 1/2 hours, kind of waiting it out to see if the crowd would lighten up or get any safer. As the day went on, the crowd seemed to get worse, rather than better. The hard part about trying to interview a drug addict is that all they care about is finding that drug and they have no intention to talk with anyone unless they’re going to help them get their next fix. I am definitely not that guy. 

All these factors combined made me conclude that it was not the right time or place to try to get productive interviews to learn more about the subject. I genuinely feel as though talking to former or present drug addicts will provide me with knowledge that biographies and books can’t, with first-hand perspective. I haven’t given up. We spoke with the facilitators of the methadone clinic in Chico and are working on a tour along with potential interviews. I have also talked with a few acquaintances who have first hand experience with the topic. Although this interview process has taken exponentially longer than I was expecting, I have not wasted time and have the entire video cut and ready, all it needs is interview clips. 

Keep in mind, my report only covers a fraction of drug abuse. Opioid addiction only scratches the surface of the illegal drug underworld which is and forever will be a problem around the world.