What I Learned About Alcoholism and Drug Addiction in High School

October 28th, 2009 by author

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 point of fact 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 a lot about alcohol rehab and the various alcohol rehab clinics that are normally available to people who engage in abusive drinking.

Detrimental Consequences That are Related to Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the injurious results correlated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class unquestionably alarmed 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. That is, I did not want to face the wreckage and devastation that alcohol dependent individuals almost always experience.

Reflect on this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What adolescent wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that ingesting alcohol becomes the object of oneâ€™s life? What adolescent wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related problems before he or she becomes an adult?

What teenager wants to deal with alcohol withdrawals 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 a person 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 revolves around abusive drinking?

These issues were so important that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was absolutely inconceivable to me was the number of students who essentially didnâ€™t care about the injurious outcomes of irresponsible drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldnâ€™t be troubled with the facts and how these consequences can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to understand a saying that my grandfather used to say to me all through my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you canâ€™t make it drink.

Itâ€™s Important, Liberating, and Beneficial to Stay Away From the Destructive and Unhealthy Results of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

And even at my young age, I also started to comprehend how beneficial, important, and energizing it is in life to stay away from the destructive and unhealthy effects of alcohol and drug abuse.