On Wednesday, September 10, a public speaker, David Parnell, came to East Noble and spoke to the students about his story. His story is about his life when he was a drug addict and the effects the drugs had on him and his family. The topic drug of the presentation was methamphetamine, but his story did not apply to meth only.

Methamphetamine is a drug that can be “cooked” in makeshift labs that people set up in various places. It is a very dangerous process and can cause life-threatening explosions when it is not done properly. It is a highly addictive drug that stimulates the brain, creating a type of “rush.” What it does is increase the amount of neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, and that is when the users feel something they call the “flash.”

David was under the influence of drugs for twenty-three years. During this time period he attempted suicide twice. In his first attempt he hanged himself, but instead of dying he passed out. His body started to violently jerk, causing the rope to break. The other time he took a gun and shot himself up the chin, breaking every bone in his face. During all of this David was married and had seven children. The presentation was very graphic and held a very powerful message to the students of what drug a is really like, not only to the people who abuse drugs but also to their families and even the innocent children that do not know any better and just want to help their parents. To learn more about David Parnell’s presentations and his story, his book, Facing the Dragon, is in the school library and in several stores.