Yana+S.

ABOVE THE INFLUENCE – HOW DRUGS AFFECT ME EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT
By Yana S Drugs affect the world and you, every single day. You may think drugs are harmless but they affect everybody on Planet Earth. Drugs influence the world for the bad and I want to show how it affects you, your parents, your friends, and strangers.

Drugs are chemicals that alter, block, or mimic chemical reactions in the brain. This causes an alteration of the body's normal processes, causing physical (Faster heartbeat, deeper respiration etc.), or mental (Elevated mood, new thought processes etc.) changes.

Drugs are used for a myriad of purposes, from anaesthesia, to psychotherapy, to just being able to wake up in the morning (Caffeine). Drugs that are used for personal pleasure (often illegally) are called Recreational Drugs. Traditional RD's include marijuana, alcohol (Yes, it is a drug), MDMA (ecstasy), mushrooms, LSD, methamphetamine, heroin, crack/cocaine. Recreational drugs come under many criticisms, and praise by opponents, and users alike.

Some believe the use of RD's to be immoral, and life-threatening, while others believe that new and thoughtful insights can come from drug use (especially psychedelics like mushrooms, and LSD) Other drugs include caffeine, psychedelic mushrooms diphenhydramine, dimehydrinate, mesculine, morphine, dextromethorphan, PCP, and chocolate (Chocolate contains theobromine, which is an effective cough suppressant, possibly more effective than cough syrups, which are also drugs. Theobromine has mild mood elevating effects. It's also the reason you don't feed chocolate to your pets.)

__NOTE__: THE **BOLDED** PARTS ARE NARRATIONS.

CHARACTERS

Me. Druggie 1 – Katharine (Alcohol) Druggie 2 – Ben (LSD) Druggie 3 – James (Ecstasy) Druggie 4 – Annie (Crack) Druggie 5 – Fuzzy (Heroin) Druggie 6 - Nick (Marijuana) Student 1 – Dana Student 2 – Eli Student 3 – Lauren Student 4 - Sam

SCENES

ACT I – Me talking about the effect of drugs while filming people taking/doing drugs.

ACT II – Me interviewing Eli.

ACT III – People dying, hallucinating.

ACT IV – I will interview students.

ACT V - Pictures and facts.

ACT VI – Pictures and facts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SCENES

ACT I – People are on the floor of the Basketball court, doing drugs and just hallucinating and stuff. They all have props and they’re all crushing pills, smoking, etc. etc.

Katie is on the basketball court, hallucinating and getting high off of marijuana. She’s mumbling and just crawling around. Ben is on a rocking horse, putting now and laters (candy that looks like LSD) in his mouth and acting stupid, mumbling, and speaking about how the world looks like a giant cartoon. Jimmy is lying around the floor, surrounded by pills and just mumbling like the rest of the people and talking about how everything’s soft and amazing. Annie is rocking back and forth, smoking a lightbulb and yelling how she hates the world. Fuzzy is injecting drugs into himself and running around.

The narration says:


 * Drugs are chemicals that alter, block, or mimic chemical reactions in the brain. This causes an alteration of the body's normal processes, causing physical (Faster heartbeat, deeper respiration etc.), or mental (Elevated mood, new thought processes etc.) changes.

Drugs are used for a myriad of purposes, from anaesthesia, to psychotherapy, to just being able to wake up in the morning (Caffeine). Drugs that are used for personal pleasure (often illegally) are called Recreational Drugs. Traditional RD's include marijuana, alcohol (Yes, it is a drug), MDMA (ecstasy), mushrooms, LSD, methamphetamine, heroin, crack/cocaine. Recreational drugs come under many criticisms, and praise by opponents, and users alike.

Some believe the use of RD's to be immoral, and life-threatening, while others believe that new and thoughtful insights can come from drug use (especially psychedelics like mushrooms, and LSD) Other drugs include caffeine, psychedelic mushrooms diphenhydramine, dimehydrinate, mesculine, morphine, dextromethorphan, PCP, and chocolate (Chocolate contains theobromine, which is an effective cough suppressant, possibly more effective than cough syrups, which are also drugs. Theobromine has mild mood elevating effects. It's also the reason you don't feed chocolate to your pets.)

Drugs effect the world every single day. Drugs are one of the main causes of violence and death. If we stop the use of illegal drugs, we can stop many catastrophes from occurring.**

ACT II – Eli and I are speaking about his drug experiences and he talks about how his grades have dropped and how his body has reacted to it. We are in the student center.

Me: What do you think about drugs? Eli: Drugs are a personal addiction for me and it’s an uphill battle. I’ve been smoking weed for two years and my grades have been slipping and my situation with my parents has become a lot worse than before. I need to smoke it like, every day or I feel horrible. Me: How did you start doing drugs? Eli: Well, my friends started doing the herbal stuff and then they started pressuring to do it with them and then I just started. Every day we’d meet up at Central Park or something and just smoke for an hour or two and would just sit there – high. Me: If you had the chance to go back and never start smoking cannibus, would you? Eli: Yes. (Cue crying) I’ve been struggling with the addiction since sixth grade and I can’t stop. My life is going downhill. I need to go to rehab. Me: Thank you, Eli. For admitting your feelings and problems on camera. I hope you receive the proper treatment you need and I hope you get better. Eli: Thanks. (Tear) Finally I have everything off my chest.

ACT III – Another shot of Fuzzy dying and Jimmy drowning in pills and hallucinating and dying.

Jimmy is lying around in faux-pills and mumbling random stuff about how everything’s soft and wonderful and colorful. Fuzzy is on the floor having a half seizure and just dying. Both are mumbling and are on the floor. We are in the hallway.

ACT IV – I will be talking to random students and interviewing them and asking them about their drug use.

Questions:

Do you do drugs? If so, how many times a month and what kind of drugs do you use?

How do you feel about drugs? Should they be legal?

How do drugs effect your world?

Anything else?

ACT V - Here is where I will include pictures of celebrities that have suffered, died, etc from drugs. I will include a small narration and a quick sum up of what happened. Amy Winehouse - Picture
 * Narration: Amy Winehouse has suffered with a heroin and crack addiction all throughout her life. Although she is a Grammy winning artist, her fan base is slowly falling apart due to her videos showing her drug abuse. Amy needs to go to rehab but she keeps saying no. Will this end up in an early death? Or will she clean up her act? Hopefully she'll check herself into a rehab soon.**

Heath Ledger - Picture
 * Narration: Heath Ledger passed away on January 22nd, 2008 due to an overdose of sleeping pills. Although we're not too sure if it was an accidental overdose, this shows how even prescription drugs can be deadly. Rest in peace, Heath.**

Kate Moss - Picture
 * Narration: A thirty something super model, she has been recorded snorting cocaine with her ex-boyfriend Pete Doherty. Causing a sudden halt in her career, Kate was dropped by Burberry and Neiman Marcus who she planned to do a campain with.**


 * Narration: There are many other stars who have OD and died on drugs such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Drugs kill.**

ACT VI – Above the influence signs, etc. etc. pictures. Etc. etc. Facts. Etc. etc. etc. PICTURES.

1. Picture of different types of drugs. (I’ll talk here.)


 * Every year, almost seven thousand people under the age of twenty-one die because of alcohol. Alcohol is a very serious drug that can cause death due to alcohol poisoning, kidney failure, high blood pressure, and other serious and deadly side-effects. Drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy are also very serious and deadly. Cocaine, crack, and even heroin can be deadly with one try.**

2. People doing drugs. (I’ll talk here.)


 * 20% of eighth graders have tried marijuana and 28% of students know someone who has tried ecstasy. Marijuana causes memory loss, organ failure, and other serious effects. Ecstasy is also very serious and can cause dehydration, teeth clenching, seizures, and damages nerves in your brain.**

3. People dying and hallucinating. (I’ll talk here.)
 * Most drugs are very addictive and usually end up with death. Drugs can cause heart-attack, stroke, damaged brain nerves, serious dehydration, respiratory problems, amnesia, and even HIV/AIDS due to sharing needles.**

4. Above the influence sign. (I’ll talk here.)


 * So stay clean, don’t do drugs, and stay in school, kids.**

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