Persuasive speech outline PDF

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Name: Samantha Wallace Title: Methamphetamine: JUST SPEAK UP! Specific Purpose: To persuade students to not do the drug crystal meth and to get them to educate those around them so their friends/family/coworkers do not fall under the deadly grip of methamphetamine. Thesis Statement: Crystal meth is one of the most dangerous drugs known to mankind. Today, we will discuss what crystal meth is and the methods of consuming it, the physical effects of meth, the mental effects of meth, and the cost the user pays as well as the community. I. Introduction A. Attention getter: My mother was once a person I admired. That was until she decided that crystal meth was more important than her own children. She lost her mind and all contact with reality and eventually went on to do exactly what crystal meth wanted her to do. She sold her soul and died due to the complications that come with heavy drug use. And, now, here is my mom sitting in this box. Yes, that is my very own mother sitting in this box! And, if she could speak for herself today, she would tell you to not even think about crystal meth and to run for your life if it was ever put in front of you. B. Introduce topic and motivate audience: Crystal meth has a very devastating effect on the user and those around the user. According to drugfreeworld.org, “The United States government reported in 2008 that approximately 13 million people over the age of 12 have used methamphetamine- and 529,000 of those are regular users.” As you can see, while the numbers sound small, the cost is a lot bigger than we think. C. Establish credibility: Having lost my mother and a couple of other family members due to drug use, I know the devastating effects of addiction. I saw first-hand how meth changed my mother’s mind and turned her into the person I thought she would never be. She never thought she would end up in this box. But, it can and does happen, even when we least expect it. D. Preview main points/thesis statement: Crystal meth is one of the most dangerous drugs known to mankind. Today, we will discuss what crystal meth is and the methods of consuming it, the physical effects of meth, the mental effects of meth, and the cost the user pays as well as the community. II. Body A. Need or Problem Step 1. Describe the need: As we learned earlier, a lot of people try meth for the first time every year. And about 4% of the people who first try it later go on to become regular users. There is a need to stop people from ever wanting to try crystal meth and to keep people educated so that they never fall under the death holding grip of meth. 2. Explain the importance of the problem: Meth is everywhere, even in places you would least expect it. It surrounds our communities with a demonic presence. Meth explosions from meth

labs have exploded houses and caused devastating effects on the communities in which the explosion occurred. We need to try to control the harmful effects meth has on the users and the families as well as the environment. 3. Describe what could happen if the problem is NOT solved: If we don’t get to the bottom of meth, our communities will continue suffering and people will continue to die at a more rapid rate every year. By addressing this problem, we can avoid the traumatizing effects of meth on our communities.

B. Satisfaction/Solution Step 1. Describe your plan in detail: Today, I am going to educate you about meth and encourage you to educate those around you so that your cherished acquaintances don’t end up in this box. 2. Explain why your plan will work: By just educating you and encouraging you to educate those around you, we can help people see meth for what it really is and help to stop the spread of meth’s lethal influence. Now, let’s learn about what addicts call the “devil’s drug.” III. Where meth originated, what it is, and methods of consumption A. What meth is: According to the meth project, meth is a synthetic stimulant that affects the nervous system. It floods the brain with dopamine and prevents the reuptake of it. B. Ways of taking meth: According to the Meth Project, meth can be snorted, smoked, injected, or swallowed. C. Where meth originated: Methamphetamine was first synthesized in Japan in 1893 by Nagayoshi Nagai from ephedrine (Methoide). It was synthesized to help military personnel stay awake and not get fatigued. As time went on, different levels of society used it for different reasons, the most common one however being euphoria and to stay awake during long work hours. D. What meth is made of: Meth Project’s “What’s in Meth” demonstration E. The effects on society and the solution: Society began to realize the problems the drug caused, and The Controlled Substances Act in 1970 finally ended its widespread use after classifying it as a Schedule 2 drug. Now that we know what meth is, let’s discuss the physical effects of taking meth.

IIII. Meth’s Physiological Effects A. Meth causes a loss of appetite, increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, dilation of the pupils, disturbed sleep patterns, panic, hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability, and convulsions, seizures, heart attacks, strokes, and death from high doses.

B. Meth Project’s “meth mouth” illustration Now that we know the physical effects of meth, let’s see what it does to the mind. V. Meth’s Psychological Effects A. Tweaking-this is where the user has meth in their body but is starting to come down. This phase includes paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, out of control rages, psychosis, violent behavior, and suicidal thoughts or actions. (Life or meth.org) B. Binging-this is where the user compulsively uses meth to keep staying high over long periods of time. The binging phase includes all of the tweaking phase symptoms, but to a more extreme extent. C. Psychosis-this is where the meth user loses touch with reality and goes crazy. C. The Crash-this is where the meth user has officially come down and no longer has meth in their body. Many meth users sleep for a long time or a couple of days because their body has to repair the damage they did to it by exhausting its resources. They have a very strong craving for more meth as well. D. Personal story about mom tweaking Now that we know the mental effects on the user, let’s consider the even bigger effects meth has on the community! VI. Meth’s effects on the community A. Meth labs are the places where meth is produced. These meth labs are very dangerous to the “cooks” who expose themselves and maybe neighbors to the toxic fumes and vapor during the meth cooking process. There is also a very high chance the meth lab could explode. B. Meth lab explosions can take out whole neighborhoods. The explosions cause severe burns and disfiguration to the people around the meth production. There is also a chance of death. And, when meth labs don’t explode; for every for every pound of meth that is made, there is anywhere from 5 to 7 pounds of toxic waste product that ruins the environment. C. Addicts are dying everyday and the families of those addicts have to deal with the traumatizing effects of losing a loved one if the addict dies. D. Addicts who are alive struggle daily to stay sober and their families give a lot of their resources to help the addict stay straight and not relapse. E. Meth Project’s “Why do meth labs blow up” video Alright, let’s visualize my plan in action! C. Visualization Step: 1. Describe what results your audience can experience if your plan is

adopted: If we educate others about meth, we can experience the joy that we get from saving someone from becoming another addict who struggles so badly to live everyday just being sober. We also feel good knowing that maybe we helped someone from making a terrible decision. 2. Describe the benefits that relate to your audience: When you take the information I have taught you and spread it onto others, people will spread the information you taught them onto others. This “circle of information” allows the problems of meth to be exposed to those who maybe don’t have the resources or money to get educated, and helps to maybe even save a life that could have been lost to meth! 3. Describe the consequences that will affect your audience: If you sit here and decide to not speak up when the opportunity arises in your own life, it is you that will deal with the guilty conscience of knowing you could have helped someone from going down the very destructive and deathly path of methamphetamine use or production. 4. State your “Call to Action”: Be observant and listen carefully when you are engaged in conversations with others. If anyone mentions anything about meth and is curious about it or wants information, speak up! And educate others who want to be educated who don’t have the resources to do so! Let’s wrap all of this up so you can start taking action! VII. Conclusion A. Signal ending: We learned a lot today about meth and how it hurts us all. We learned the problem and the solution I’ve offered regarding meth. We learned what it is and the specifics of that, the physical and mental effects of meth, the impact it has on our communities, as well as my plan in visualization. B. Restate the importance of the problem: There are many people around us using meth or considering trying it. Let’s stop the destruction before it starts! C. Re-emphasize the “call to action” step: Remember to be observant in your conversations and speak up for those who want to take a destructive path or for those needing to be educated but don’t have the resources to do so. Help stop the destruction before it starts! D. Please, don’t let your cherished friends or family end up in this box. Help them to stay alive and far, far away in a happy ending where no meth is involved!

MLA WORKS CITED Bartos, Lorene. "Meth Production Is Toxic to Communities." Lancaster.unl.edu. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. http://lancaster.unl.edu/family/methtoxic.shtml . "Origin and History." MethOIDE. The University of Arizona. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. http://methoide.fcm.arizona.edu/infocenter/index.cfm?stid=164 . "Psychological Effects." Life or Meth: What's the Cost? Lifeormeth.org. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. http://www.lifeormeth.org/default.aspx/MenuItemID/173/MenuGroup/_EffectsOfMeth.ht m. "The Deadly Effects of Meth." Drugfreeworld.org. The Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth/the-deadly-effects-ofmeth.html . "What Is "Meth Mouth?" The Perfect Storm." The Meth Project. The Meth Project. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. http://www.methproject.org/answers/what-is-meth-mouth.html#The-PerfectStorm . "Why Do Meth Labs Blow Up? Burn Victims." The Meth Project. The Meth Project. Web. http://www.methproject.org/answers/why-do-meth-labs-blow-up.html#Burn-Victims ....