Adam Redford

COMM 1010- Teisha Vest

Full Sentence Outline for Presentation

Specific Goal: My audience will learn about the benefits of attending a therapeutic community for
addiction recovery and when and why they should explore them for themselves or loved ones.
Application: The audience will save time, money, and effort in wasting time with treatment programs
that may not be right for them.
Ethos: Primary Ethos: A therapeutic community has save my life and saved me years of misery.
Secondary Ethos: I will cite three references out loud in my speech.
Pathos: My story about my problem with substance abuse and the subsequent recovery will bring a
reality to others to create a sense of compassion and empathy.
Logos: I will use statistical data from surveys about the effectiveness of different forms of treatment. I
will explain how the facility that I attend operates and how it is different from others Ive attended.
Audience Assessment: My audience will most likely not know much about the treatment options or how
to determine whats best in which situation.
Adaptation to Audience: I will explain how the facility that I attend operates and how it is different from
others Ive attended. I will explain the reasons that one should consider a therapeutic community.
Pattern of Organization: Problem-solution in the Introduction, Topical in the Body.

Introduction
I. Hook: I should be dead right now. (very brief story)
A. I spent 13 years abusing drugs and alcohol while destroying everything in my life.
B. Im only standing before you right now because I found the correct treatment that I needed.
II. Thesis: Know the benefits of using a therapeutic community for addiction recovery.
III. Preview: Ill explain the differences of the programs that are available and how to know which
program style will work for you.
A. First, Ill describe the characteristics of addiction.
B. Second, Ill explain the types of rehabilitation services.
C. Third, Ill explain why the therapeutic community can be your best treatment option.
Transition: Considering you now know a little about what I will be speaking on, Ill now describe the
characteristics of an addiction.

Body
IV: Addiction is described as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug
seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. (NIDA, 2014).
A. A collected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that abuse of and addiction to
alcohol, nicotine, and illicit and prescription drugs cost Americans more than $700 billion a year
in increased health care costs, crime, and lost productivity. (NIDA, 2014)
B. The same study shows that every year, illicit and prescription drugs and alcohol contribute to the
death of more than 90,000 Americans, while tobacco is linked to an estimated 480,000 deaths per
year. (NIDA, 2014)
C. The 5 most common behavior traits of an addict are that they lie, they manipulate, they are likely
to be engaged in criminal acts, they will shift blame, and likely become abusive. (Narconon,
2016)
Transition: Once you have identified these behaviors and found substance abuse as the cause, you can
now look for methods of treatment.
V. There a variety of treatment methods that are available.
A. Short-term programs such as detoxification facilities, which include 30-90 day inpatient programs
focus more on symptom recovery and management under the guidance of medical and
psychological professionals.
B. Outpatient services which allow the patient to attend a facility for a short period of time up to a
few times a week which allows for continued lifestyle.
C. Long-term treatment facilities which focus on behavioral modification and life-skills training
such as therapeutic communities which can last from 2 to 5 years.
Transition: In my experience, the short term treatment programs were ineffective due to the amount of
time it takes for the brain to recovery from long term damage, here are the reasons that long term
treatment in a therapeutic community are effective.
VI. Therapeutic communities have many advantages over short-term treatment options.
A. The therapeutic community is closely associated with Milieu Therapya form of psychotherapy
where the emphasis is on using the environment as a therapeutic tool. (DARA, 2016)
1. Therapeutic communities provide a supportive environment where individuals learn why
they used and help individuals develop the tools to stay sober.
2. It is a group-based, highly structured, and powerful treatment approach to addiction
recovery.
3. Therapeutic communities do not rely on psychiatry or psychology.
4. They put more emphasis on the effect your behavior has on the community as a whole
than to just the individual.

B. Therapeutic communities have a recovery orientation, focusing on the whole person and overall
lifestyle change, not simply abstinence from drug use.
1. They help participants to change destructive attitudes, behaviors, values and lives.
2. Personal growth and proper living is achieved by peers serving as role models
through interaction and confronting each other in group sessions.
C. Operates on an each one, teach one model which means that individuals instruct and teach
rather than give orders and each participant assumes responsibility for not just their own
recovery, but the recovery of others.
1. Participants are expected to observe the behaviors and attitudes of peers and to take
action to promote change.
2. More senior participants facilitate change by being examples and providing
instruction and leadership.
3. They are taught to become leaders by handling increased amounts of responsibility in
job functions and general supervision.
D. Learning a new lifestyle cannot be achieved in a short-term program as changing requires time
and struggles.
1. Most TCs last from 2 to 5 years.
2. Participants are encouraged to examine personal behavior to help them become more
social, be honest, take responsibility, work hard, and increase willingness to learn.
3. Participants are put through many different situations to learn how to handle them
without resorting to the destructive behavior that they have in the past.
Transition: You see how beneficial therapeutic communities can be, especially for those who have tried
other options in the past.

Conclusion
VII.

To determine if a therapeutic community is the best option you must first:

A. Identify the problem and seriousness of the problem in the individual.
B. Know which type of treatment options are available.
C. Ask yourself if a therapeutic community is the best option.

VIII.

Knowing the benefits of a therapeutic community can be a matter of life and death.

References

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2014).: The Basics: What is drug addiction?
Retrieved July 30th, 2016, from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/therapeutic-communities/aretherapeutic-communities-effective

Narconon International; The 5 Most Common Behavior Traits of an Addict. (2016). Retrieved July 30th,
2016, from
http://www.narconon.org/blog/drug-addiction/5-common-behavior-traits-addict/

Drug and Alcohol Rehab Asia (DARA) (2016). Therapeutic Community Program. Retrieved July 30th,
2016, from
http://alcoholrehab.com/drug-addiction-treatment/therapeutic-community-program/