What I Learned About Alcohol Dependency and Drug Addiction in High School
When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I registered for a substance abuse class. At that time, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in reality was a sub classification of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and particularly 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 a lot about alcohol rehabilitation and the different alcohol rehab facilities that are frequently available to individuals who engage in excessive drinking.
Injurious Consequences That are Linked to Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the detrimental consequences linked to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class without a doubt scared me. The ruined lives and many serious issues experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated differently, I did not want to face the damage and destruction that alcohol addicted individuals almost always experience.
Let this sink in for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager 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 ingesting alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What teen wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related difficulties before he or she becomes twenty-one?
What youth wants to experience alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause problems 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 irresponsible drinking?
These issues were so significant that I talked about some of them in class during the school year. What was totally astounding to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the dangerous effects of hazardous drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about the facts and how these effects can ruin their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend a saying that my grandfather used to emphasize throughout my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
It’s Liberating, Important, and Beneficial to Stay Away From the Unhealthy and Damaging Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
And even at my young age, I also started to comprehend how important, liberating, and beneficial it is in life to keep away from the debilitating and unhealthy results of alcohol and drug abuse.
