Growing up, I had realized that there was a big problem, and that was drugs, among other things mostly is north and south America, but in other places around the world as well. I had known from the news that this included “weed”, heroin, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs that were commonly talked about on the news. What I knew before was alcohol was illegal for people under the age of 21. I knew that “weed” was bad, but still legal in some places in the U.S. I also knew that heroin was illegal in any circumstance.  I know that I would never do any of that, because my religion says not to do anything that can cause harm to your body. I never looked into anything else about it. However, when I learned more about drugs in Mr. Harding’s class, I got a better understanding of what they really were, and what their effects of use were. For example, marijuana or “weed” could cause brain damage in undeveloped brains, and could also have medicinal effects, also known as medicinal marijuana. Due to this, I believe that this year in Wellness, I grew in drug knowledge. I have two artifacts to prove this growth. I have my letter to my 10th grade self, explaining what drugs are, why I shouldn’t use them, and an urge from my present self not to use them. My second artifact is the Opioid Abuse Prevention Notes & Research, which is showing how learning is taking place as I progress through the reading.

My first artifact, my Letter to Me, is an assignment we did throughout the drug unit in wellness. This letter is a letter to our 10th grade self, taking about what drugs are, what effects they would have on my life if used, and an urge from my present self not to use them, if I were to ever consider it. We did class activities and research that educated us about specific drugs, like marijuana, heroin, opioids. I learned what they were, and what effects in had on people. For example, opioids are prescription pain killers that when overused, can get people high. Opioids are often referred to as possible gateway drug, due to the good feeling of getting high, and it being prescribed, meaning that it is given in limited amounts for killing pain. In this letter, we described each drug or variation of drug, and what it is, does, and negative effects. For example marijuana overdose can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, and brain damage. This letter talks about drugs in such detail, that it is clear that I learned about drugs while doing this project.

My second artifact is the Opioid Abuse Prevention Notes & Research worksheet. This is a worksheet where we watched a video about addiction, and did research on what opioids were, how people get them, a prescription, what they do, and how they can be bad for people. This something I didn’t know anything about. I didn’t know what opioids were, what they did, and that they could actually be dangerous if abused. We used this research to make the opioid description part of our 10th Grade Letter to Me. For instance, we learned that opioids are painkillers that can be easily found at a local Walmart. When not used at the recommended dose, or not used for the intended purpose, it can be a dangerous drug. You can get high off opioids, which can later lead to depression. Even worse, opioids are given in a limited amount, due to them being prescribed with no other source for pain killing, so people might turn to street drugs. This is why opioids can be referred to as a gateway drug. Before, I didn’t know all this, which is why I think this artifact helps show my growth in drug knowledge.

Before my 8th grade year, I had only known that dangerous things like drugs existed, and to stay away from them. For some drugs when I was in my 8th grade year, I found I knew nothing about them, when I thought I did. My 10th Grade Letter to me and my Opioid Abuse Prevention Notes & Research show that I had learned something this year. I learned something that can prove to be useful throughout my life. I might just need to use opioids for pain killing, and it is good to know to be mindful of overdose when using them. The knowledge may just save me from a world of hurt that nobody would want to find themselves in. That is why I think this year in Wellness class, I grew in drug knowledge.