Andrew+M’s+Final+AmEx+2013+Speech

=Title of Speech= = = Peer Pressure and Addiction = = = = = = =Text of Speech= It took me awhile to figure out what I should write my speech about, I went through many different topics in my head and started to form outlines but ended up deciding they wern’t that great. at one point I thought just coming here on the day of the speech and winging it would be a good idea but then I decided that probably wasn’t going to be the smartest idea. Then Sunday night it hit me, thats when I knew what I was going to talk about. actually I decided on two topics to base my speech on. In The America I want to grow old in I want to see and end to Peer Pressure and Addiction. Everyday teenagers do things they shouldn’t such as Drugs, getting drunk, having sex, etc. this is because they fall into the little trap we all know as “Peer Pressure”. the definition of Peer Pressure is “social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.” ok sure we all know what peer pressure is and we have all had that conversation with our parents or teachers basically telling us that it is bad but did we listen? I don’t think that everyone did because of all the problems teens have. I’m pretty sure that most of the people who do drugs and underage drink didn’t just wake up one day and go “you know today seems like a nice day to start smoking crack!” No they were probably hanging out with one of there friends who smokes and they started to nag them saying stuff like “come on man its not bad for you” “don’t dis it till you try it” “its all natural” so what if its natural I don’t go around picking random plants and smoking them cause they are natural. smoking things is just bad the only thing that should go into your lungs is oxygen. Smoking kills your lungs no matter what you smoke. Peer Pressure is bad and it can lead to addiction and addiction as I’m sure you all know is bad. I am now going to read of some lines from a song that is about addiction and the trouble it brings called “Vices” by the band Memphis May fire.  "And I've been thinking this could be the end of me Who is this person in the mirror I see And I have come so far, thought I was so strong The truth is I just fed myself a lie For too long. I never thought this would be me..., And the only one to blame is me  But now I'm on the verge of self destruction How could this happen to me! I've never been the type to run from anything Run from anything!  So sick and tired of wondering where My morals have gone My father didn't raise me to become this Where did I go wrong! <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> There is not much left of me <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can't feel the ground beneath my feet <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There is not much left of me! <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I let everyone around me down <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And now I'm headed to the bottom of the bottle just to block out the sound <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">God I need you now! <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sometimes I feel like I will never learn <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cause the bottles always there when I have nowhere else to turn <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Will I ever learn? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Who have I become!" <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now even though addiction can lead to great songs it’s still something that is bad. addiction hurts the ones around you, the ones who care about you. it makes you forget who you are and it makes you do stupid things so you can get money to feed your addiction. I just want these things to end.I don’t want to have to raise my children while fearing that they will fall into peer pressure and become addicted to drugs and alcohol. I just don’t want to go through that.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Video for "Vices" by Memphis May Fire: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> media type="youtube" key="T_yCTsL3pOU" width="560" height="315"

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