Codeine Persuasive Speech

Codeine abuse is becoming widely more popular among teens and young adults. With the rise of usage and lack of knowledge, individuals are not fully aware of what they’re getting themselves into. There is a lot to know about opioid drugs like codeine. Codeine has multiple ways of being used depending on the user’s preference. Like every other drug, there are symptoms that come with the use of codeine. There should be more awareness for abusing opioid drugs like codeine because they can be highly addictive. Teens today will try the drug without even knowing about the side effects, there needs to be more awareness so we can prevent people going down the wrong path. First we must understand what codeine is and the different types of it. Codeine is an opioid drug which is used in medication as a painkiller or to treat coughs. There are three

Some short term effects from codeine that are not life threatening are, euphoria, nausea or vomiting, and constipation. (Addictionstories) There are some more side effects that can be fatal that are slowed down breathing, heart rate can drop, and blood pressure can fall. Without enough oxygen tissues in the organs can die and lead to permanent organ damage or death. There are also signs of overdose such as, blue lips or skin, lack of pulse, frequent vomiting and extreme fatigue. Blue lips and skin and lack of pulse indicate that someone is not getting enough oxygen through their body do to the slowed down heart rate. Besides the short term effects there are also long term effects that a lot more severe and can cause a lot of damage. Some of the effects are, pain while not using the drug, seizures, organ damage, coma and death (“Cough and Cold Med.”). Once people begin developing a tolerance to drugs, it takes a higher dose of the drug to get the same high