Smoking Should Be Completely Prohibited From College Campuses Essay Example for Free

Smoking Should Be Completely Prohibited From College Campuses Essay This paper focuses on why smoking should be completely prohibited from college campuses. It explores the effects of smoking and tries to give the rationale for prohibiting it. It also explores the views of those who support smoking. This topic has attracted a number of heated debates and a consensus has not yet been reached on whether or not smoking should be prohibited in college. The diversity of opinion can almost be equated with the number of people who comment on the topic. Even those who agree that it should be banned; their reasons are so varied. Ayn Rand argues that smoking cigarettes signifies the power human beings have over nature1. Others feel smoking is morally wrong and the government ought to prohibit it. For some, smoking would be wrong and self-destructive, for other it would not be the case. Actually, a moderate degree of smoking is morally unobjectionable. Here, morality comes in and this makes the argument against smoking a subjective one. What is morally acceptable to one individual may be objectionable to another. A focus on the moral persuasions of the majority reflects that they see no big deal in tobacco smoking itself but have a problem with smoking in college. Majorities also agree that smoking, for instance of bhang and cocaine should be prohibited be it in college or in the wider society: this is because of the moral difference between smoking tobacco and the rest. However, it is not obvious for one to find a moral justification in this and we can only question the moral leanings of the majority. Some argue that in the ethics if virtue, there is the moral imperative to care for one’s health one should use his mind. They should ask themselves if smoking is justice/injustice to self? But then, a number of issues may trigger neglect of personal health, inter alia; sports, and career. Such things may subject their health and lives in serious risk. Is this morally right? Is smoking one such risk? What is the ultimate goal of smoking? For pleasure? If yes, is pleasure the highest good there is? Yet it is not uncommon for people to take reasonably serious risks to celebrate life, for instance, to attend sport, or a wedding an accident is possible. Human beings would have to live morally disputable lives if we were to consider all risks taking to be morally objectionable. We will agree that we are responsible to live well. Man is a rational creature and should be able to make his own decision. â€Å"Human nature is characterized by reason and tolerance†2 John Locke argued. One can argue that if one wants to smoke, he should go a head but remember that he will bear the consequences dearly. Rigid rules to prohibit man from doing this and that do not allow him to live best. Spontaneous regulation and restraint would make him live better. Our conduct should always and pari passu be monitored and supervised by reason. Some people consider it essential to encourage independent decision making on the part of their, say adolescent children, who then decide to smoke, this could be seen as no less morally justifiable than encouraging them to play ice hockey for enjoyment. But are such parents doing a morally acceptable thing? Lets consider the effects of two substances (smoking).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Smoking tobacco has both short-term and long-term effects. The nicotine in tobacco causes a short-term heart rate, blood pressure and possibly increases in the flow of blood from the heart. It has the devastating effects of making the arteries narrow. The oxygen-holding capacity of the blood is undermined by carbon monoxide. â€Å"We think smoking is widespread and too little has been told about its danger.3† It is documented that smoking tobacco can cause coronary heart diseases, cancer of the lungs, esophagus, bladder, mouth, cervix, kidney among others. Research findings reveal that there are more than 40 chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer in both animals and humans. It is argued that smoking tobacco does increase the likelihood of almost every other pregnancy-related health risk to both mother and child, and is the single most preventable causes of illness and death among mothers and infants in the developed world.4Then, why accept to be haunted by a problem that we could easily fling into the dustbins of forgetfulness? Are we morally justified in legalizing something that is fatal to ourselves? We have lost or deformed loved ones because of this very monster! Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) adversely affects nonsmokers â€Å" each year, exposure to ETS causes as estimated 3,000 non-smoking American to die of long cancer and causes up to 300,000 children to suffer from lower-respiratory-tract infections† says American heart association (AHA) centers of disease control and prevention. Smoking of tobacco may cause accidental fires in school residential halls usually linked with careless smoking of tobacco treated with chemicals to allow it to smolder indefinitely. This list of the downsides of tobacco smoking is reminiscent of the real harm that tobacco slaps on its users. With all these downsides, the authorities should not turn a deaf eye on those who bemoan its smoking. Others argue that smoking (tobacco) has some beneficial effects, which can be identified especially on certain medical grounds and are thought to emanate from the biological effects of nicotine5. For instance, because most patient with Alzheimer’s diseases are likely not to have smoked, this is interpreted to mean that smoking protects against the disease6. But research hasn’t proved anything so far so specialists are at odds with such a conclusion. They term it erroneous as some studies show the reverse. Research findings depict that tobacco smokers are only half as likely as non-smokers has a protective effects of current smoking increases the risk of Crohn’s diseases, a form of inflammatory bowel diseases7. Some preliminary data from 1996 suggested that reduced incidence of uterine fibroids but overall the evidence is unconvincing. One would argue that if it were true that tobacco prevents some diseases, we have no rights in preventing anyone from smoking it as it would be no difference between this and preventing one from using any other preventive medicine. Cocaine has both short-term and long-term effects. Short-term effects include dilated pupils, increased heart rate, blood pressure, irritability and constricted peripheral blood vessels. Cocaine has an immediate euphoric effect, which affect energy and mental clarity. Cocaine’s effects are short-lived and once the drug leaves the brain, the user experiences a ‘coke crash’ that includes irritability and depression. Cocaine too has long-term effects. It is believed that high doses and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia-it can produce particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. Prolonged snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose.8 It is documented that smoking has been associated with suicidal tendencies. College students who are daily smokers are more than five times more likely to have either seriously thought about or attempted suicide than non-smokers (Halperin and Eytan). Mental health disorders have been strongly associated with smoking, especially among adolescents and young adults. College students who smoke are more likely to participate in the risky behaviors that pose some of the greatest health threats to18-24 year olds. Smokers have lower grade point averages (GPA) than nonsmokers. The Harvard College Alcohol Study found that smokers are 27.0% less likely than nonsmokers to have an above B grade average (Rigotti, 2000). Lower individual performance among students results in lower academic overall standings for colleges. Of the 15 million college students in the United States today, it is estimated that 1.7 million will die of smoking-related illnesses, most prematurely (Halperin, 2002). That amounts to over 10.0% of current college students. Smoking is addictive therefore denying students sober time to learn; may also cause conflict in college as students become unruly and may lead to larceny and arson in colleges. Then, Allowing smoking in college would adversely affect learning as it undermine the college administration’s effort to provide both security and learning environment that is conducive to the students. Why permit smoking while studies evidence that 20% of all US deaths are due to smoking. From such statistics, one can conclude that the number of the deaths, which were caused, can easily be compared to casualties of genocide or a war 9. Therefore if we permit smoking, we have no reason in not accepting genocide.   However, the government may not want to control everything man does especially if it does not put at risk any one’ safety. If one wants to eat a monkey or live like one he should go ahead and do it. One person is quoted saying: Protecting me from myself is not the governments job. Protecting me from others is, however, the governments job.10 From the overview of the effects of both tobacco and cocaine, their devastating effects compel anyone to challenge both the legality and morality of accepting smoking. Well it’s almost universally agreed that life-preserving acts are superior to life destroying ones but mankind has failed to agree on smoking as a life-destroying act. Again, one would successfully argue that smoking of bhang and cocaine makes people to rape, kills, and steals despite the fact that those things are illegal. If the government goes ahead and legalize, inter alia, cocaine, bhang it would not make any difference in not legalizing those behaviors in college. Tobacco may not drive one into these but instead it has more risk on one’s health. Permitting tobacco again is no different from allowing suicide for it is a means of killing one-self. Whoever permits smoking is at least morally guilty of causing it ailment and effects? For sure, J.Rousseau was right when he said, â€Å"man is inherently good but become corrupted by the evils of the society†. Work cited Rand A, Atlas Shrugged (New York: Random House, 1957 p61 Locke, J. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Ed. Roger Woolhouse.   New York: Penguin Books (1997), 307 Schwartz, S.M Marshall, L.M, Baird, D.D Epidemiologic Contribution   To Understanding An Etiology Of Uterine. Leiomyota. Eviron Health Perspective 2000,Oct’ 108 Sopp15: 821-7 P.M 11035989. 4.Maternal and infant health smoking during pregnancy. (www.drugfree.org/partal/drug-guide/tobaccohtml) Accessed online on 29th Nov.2007.12: 45: 35 GMT Barron JA, Benefits Effects Of Nicotine And Cigarette Smoking: The Real, The Possible And The Spurious. Br Med Bill, 1996 Jan 52(1): 58-72 PMID 6..Almeida, O.P, Hulse, G.K., Lawrence. And Flicke, L Smoking As A Risk Factor   For Alzheimer’s Diseases, Contrasting Evidence From A Systematic Review Of Case Control And Cohort Studies: Addiction 97: 15.   2002 Mahid, S.S. Et Al. Smoking And Inflammation Bowed Diseases: A Meta-Analysis. Mayo Clin proc. 2006. Nov 81 (11): 1462-71 PMID 17120402 8.National institute on drug abuse.   www.drugfree.org/portal/drug-guide/cocaine. Corbett, B. Contemporary moral problems, 2001   www.webster.educarbetre/philosopy/moral/contemp/smokinghtml Accessed online on 27 Nov 2007 at 16:23:45.GMT Legalize Pot (Canada only) http://forum.quoteland.com/75095 as retrieved on 31 Oct 2007 05:58:57 GMT. 11. Rigotti, (2000) and Halperin and Eytan,(2002) were gotten from http://www.ttac.org/college/facts/top/negative.effects/html

Love Is Timeless :: essays research papers fc

Love can be described as having genuine affection towards someone. Whether it be a family member or your soulmate, love comes in many shapes and forms. Love is also defined as timeless and infinite. In the poem â€Å"A Red, Red Rose† by Robert Burns, there is many connotations about love. Throughout the poem the speaker symbolizes his love for someone. He uses various metaphors to get his point across about how he feels about this particular person. However, what makes this poem differ from other common love poems is that it emphasizes how the author leaves but will still always love the other person thus making love endless.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Burns was born in Scotland, January 25th, 1759. He was the son of William Burnes, or Burness, at the time on the banks of the Doon in Ayrshire. He married Jean Armour whose father did not approve of their marriage. They moved all over England and finally ended up in Dumfries where he died at thirty-eight. Historians believe that the poem ‘A Red, Red Rose’ emerged from the difficulties Jeam Armour’s father had of their marriage. Regardless of her father’s disapproval, he wed her and created an ageless poem of his love towards her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ËœA Red, Red Rose’ uses various similes and metaphors to describe love. Love is conveyed through a rose. The color â€Å"red† is also a symbol of passion and love. In lines 3 and 4 Burns is compelled again to write another metaphor about his love. This time he compares her to a melody from a song. This is, however, a temporary beauty since a melody eventually ends. In the second stanza he believes that his love will last forever. The line â€Å"tell a’ the seas gang dry† (Burns 1401) does not put a limit of time in his love. The probability that this would happen is next to impossible making his love continuous. Lines 9 through 11 also convey the same message as lines 5 through 8.His love will last until â€Å"the rocks melt wi’ the sun† (Burns 1401) Burns emphasizes again the fact that his love will never end. This reiteration tells readers that he truly loves this person and that he will not stop loving this person until the end of time. The final stanza has multiple meanings. He could mean that their love is separated above or beyond the sands of time.

Abnormal Psychology: Abuse, Addiction, & Disorders

Psychological Disorder Analysis ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY: ABUSE, ADDICTION, & DISORDERS Psy 270 Jalisa Cooper February 4, 2012 Final paper Psychological Disorder Analysis Psychological disorders can be very debilitating for those who suffer from them. Psychological disorders affect a person’s ability to function normally in their daily lives. In regards to the case study of Nicole the patient Nicole is a 40-year-old Hispanic female who comes to the mental health clinical complaining of trouble sleeping, feeling â€Å"jumpy† all of the time, and experiencing an inability to concentrate.These symptoms are causing problems for her at work, where she is a finance manager. Though the information in regards to Nicole is very limited and difficult to analyze, however the symptoms suggest that Nicole may be suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be difficult to diagnose and the symptoms are often unrecognizable. Posttraumatic stress disorde r is an anxiety disorder which can develop from having experienced a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.Like many anxiety disorder they may cause jumpy and sleepless behavior depending on the anxiety disorder the individual may have. Traumatic disorders can be triggered by stress or any other event that may cause the individual to develop anxiety related symptoms. A traumatic event might be military combat experience, violent personal attacks, or even car accidents. Post-traumatic disorders can be triggered by something in their past that be generated from something major or insignificant.While Nicole’s profile within the case study does not state the existence of a traumatic event throughout her past or present life, however I can only assume that she many have experienced something in her past that may have been triggered by stress at work or another aspect in her life. It is common for the individual to withhold this informat ion as it may be extremely difficult for them to relive the event because it may be too traumatic.Victims that may have experienced an event such as rape or car accident resulting in death or severe injuries may not experience symptoms at the moment of the event however they may develop symptoms shortly or later after the event once it is triggered by stress or other traumatic events. Being that the case study did not present a in depth history on Nicole I would attempt to gather information form the patient such as â€Å"Have you experienced a traumatic event recently or in your past? † This would be to gather information about the patient to that I can pin point the origin of what is causing her symptoms.The case study regarding Nicole mentions that she is a 40-year old woman that is suffering from a great deal of symptoms. According to the Demographics of â€Å"Faces of Abnormal Psychology Interactive: for Post-traumatic stress disorder†, middle age adults are more adversely affected than older and younger adults. In addition she is a Hispanic woman meaning for whatever disorder it is important to take into consideration her culture in treating her conditions. The DSM-IV states one of the criteria of Post-traumatic stress disorder is increased levels of arousal including insomnia, irritability, and hyper vigilance. People with these disorders may feel overly alert, be easily startled, develop sleep problems, and have trouble concentrating† (Comer, 2005). When suffering from PTSD and individual may begin to display symptoms of avoidance of any stimuli that is in anyway related or associated with the traumatic event. These methods many even include avoidance of thoughts, feelings and activities associated with are resemble the event. As stated in the case study Nicole mentioned that she is having complications with getting to sleep or in general getting the significant amount of sleep needed to maintain her energy level throughout the day. Through her lack of sleep she is experiencing difficulty concentrating at her work facility, where her position requires a focused mind and attentiveness. She also experiences the feeling of being jumpy frequently throughout the day which relates to being easily startled or paranoid due to a past experience in relation to her current stress levels. She may have experienced something in her past that is being stimulated by her events she participate in during the day causing her to flash back to that moment and relive this event.It is common for individuals that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder to experience a sequence of involuntary flashbacks through thoughts and even dreams, which may also be an additional reason for Nicole’s lack of rest during the night. She may be involuntarily reliving her traumatic experience due to stress in her life preventing her to obtain the proper rest that she needs to function at work. The case study failed to explain her social life and the relationships she may have with others thus it does explain her detachment to her work assignments and her lack of focus to stay on task.Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms reflect emotional detachment from friends and family causing them to be unable to express loving feelings for them. Post- traumatic stress disorder individuals become hyper-vigilant which could cause them to become chronically un-alert to the things and events around them rendering them unresponsive. Which is another symptom that Nicole the case study patient displays throughout her explanation of her working abilities, she displays a lack of concentration to the tasks at hand and jumpy feeling all the time.Those that suffer from this disorder may often become startled easily and suffer from difficulty of sleeplessness. Those individuals with PTSD often develop other disorder such as depression; substance related disorders as well as anxiety disorders. Meaning those that suffer from severe Post-trauma tic stress disorders may often result to substance abuse and may of their symptoms may be influenced by the usage of these substances causing their condition to seem more extreme.As well as depression and anxiety disorders can in addition contribute to the symptoms PTSD raising the impact of each symptom to a higher level depending on the severity of each disorder. Many times individuals are misdiagnosed because of the commonality of symptoms between disorders. Studies have shown that 60% of adult men today have experience a traumatic even, whereas 51% of adult women have experience a traumatic event at least once in their life. It is common for many individuals that experience traumatic events sometime throughout their life to not be affected by these events.Of 50% of American that experience a traumatic event of any kind, only approximately 8% of them eventually experience Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms later in life. It is suggested that each event is different in their own way as well as has different impacts on each individual. There are factors that predict ones vulnerability of Post-traumatic stress disorder which would revolve around the nature of the event the individual experienced. The DSM-IV states the severity of the traumatic event in one of the leading factors that help predict whether an individual may be susceptible to later suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder.The severe traumatic events that are more likely to induce PTSD are the events that are prolonged traumas that often affect ones family or self directly. Secondly the more likely trauma suffer that was experiencing pre-existing anxiety symptoms long before the severe traumatic event occurred is more likely to later develop Post- traumatic stress disorder symptoms. This is because the individual has already reached a point in their life that cause them to become worrisome making them unable to handle the pressures of a traumatic event of severe magnitude without having and episodes.These individuals are unstable to cope with whatever change this event has brought on causing them to develop additional anxiety disorders. Those individuals that have a history of mental illness are way more likely to experience PTSD symptoms. Third the individuals coping techniques play a large role in ones predictability of developing symptoms of PTSD. Traumatic events can take a toll on anyone and any magnitude of the event however ones predictability of developing PTSD is based on ones ability to cope with the tragic event.The individuals that lack the ability to move past the event often fall victim to this disorder. Those that dwell on the details of the event are at higher risk as well as those who refuse to discuss the events at all cost. Some events such as witness to death, accidents resulting in death and disastrous events could cause one to reframe communicating and expressing their feelings about the events. By reframing from acknowledging such event has occu rred I could cause a mental break. Finally support is an important factor when it comes to dealing with traumatic events much like any other disorder.Those that have a lack of support from friends, family, counseling or event therapy tend to be more susceptible to the developing the symptoms of PTSD. The lack of a support network is does not allow the individual to express their problems to someone that can understand or relate. And sufferer of a post-traumatic event needs to be able to reflect and vent some other emotions to someone close. They have to be a be to feel the support and encouragement of loved ones to keep them motivated to work through whatever they are experiencing.There have been a set of therapies to design to address this disorder to properly treat the symptoms. The three primary goals in theory are reducing the individual’s fear of provoking stimuli. This means that therapy will assist the individual in reducing the fear or unwillingness to address and con front activities and thoughts that trigger the traumatic event. Secondly, assisting the patient in modifying counterproductive thoughts, and lastly reducing stress are method used in therapy to assist the patient progress pass this event.The method of be reducing the individual’s fear of provoking stimuli are done through systematic desensitization, which is when an individual unlearns their fear thus reversing the classical conditioning process and eliminating the cause of them requiring the fear initially. The first phase is relaxation training of each muscle in the body while allowing the patient to then trained to calm themselves. The second phase is list of fear provoking stimuli descending from least threating and uncomfortable to more threating fears.The third phase us the desensitization phase where the patient is slightly provoke to introduce those thoughts or stimuli while remaining calm. It is often done through imagined stimuli and then they may introduce actual s timuli to the patient. In addition to this method therapist may use cognitive techniques which challenge ones irrational beliefs and unhealthy thoughts. Reference Comer, R. J. (2005). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (4th ed. ). New York: Worth. Fundamentals of Abnormal PsychologyFaces of Abnormal Psychology Interactive application at the McGraw Hill Higher Education Web site: http://www. mhhe. com/socscience/psychology/faces/http://www. mhhe. com/socscience/psychology/faces/# Melinda Smith, M. A. , and Jeanne Segal, Ph. D. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): SYMPTOMS, TREATMENT, AND SELF-HELP, (2011), Retrieved February 4, 2012, http://www. helpguide. org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment. htm Resources: Appendix A, Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, and the Faces of Abnormal Psychology Interactive application at the McGraw Hill Higher Education Web

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