What I Learned About Alcohol and Drug Abuse in High School
When I was a sophomore in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that time, I did not understand that alcohol abuse in truth was a sub division of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and above all about alcohol side effects, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for people all over the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol rehab and the various alcohol rehab clinics that are regularly available to people who engage in hazardous drinking.
Detrimental Consequences That are Linked to Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the dangerous end results associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class definitely alarmed me. The ruined lives and frequent problems experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. More to the point, I did not want to face the wreckage and destruction that alcohol addicted individuals almost always go through.
Ponder upon this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What young person wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that drinking alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What teenager wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related difficulties before he or she becomes an adult?
What youth wants to experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to quit drinking? Why would an individual engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause serious issues in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after an individual has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would an adolescent want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that centers on hazardous drinking?
These issues were so significant that I discussed some of them in class during the school year. What was entirely incredible to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the injurious results of excessive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about the truth and how these effects can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to figure out something that my grandfather used to articulate all through my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
It’s Beneficial, Important, and Liberating to Keep Away From the Unhealthy and Damaging Effects of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
And even at my young age, I also started to understand how important, energizing, and beneficial it is in life to keep away from the unhealthy and debilitating consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
