What I Learned About Alcohol Dependency and Drug Abuse in High School

by Thomas Soaringbird on September 24, 2009

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I took a substance abuse class. At that age, I did not understand 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 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 individuals all through the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehabilitation and the various alcohol rehab facilities that are typically available to alcohol abusers.

Negative Results That are Related to Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the dangerous consequences associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class certainly startled me. The ruined lives and countless problems experienced by most alcohol addicted people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated briefly, I did not want to face the damage and ruination that alcohol addicted people almost always experience.

Ponder upon this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old person 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 one’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 twenty-one?

What teenager 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 problems 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 a teenager want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on abusive drinking?

These issues were so noteworthy that I discussed some of them in class during the school year. What was utterly astonishing to me was the number of students who simply didn’t care about the detrimental outcomes of irresponsible drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about the truth and how these consequences can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to understand something that my grandfather used to emphasize all through my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

It’s Beneficial, Important, and Energizing to Stay Away From the Unhealthy and Debilitating Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse

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

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