When I was a sophomore in high school, I registered for a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in truth was a sub classification of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and especially 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 treatment and the diverse alcohol rehab facilities that are repeatedly available to alcohol abusers.
Harmful Results That are Correlated With Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the harmful effects correlated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class absolutely alarmed me. The ruined lives and countless problems experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated briefly, I did not want to face the wreckage and destruction that alcohol addicted people almost always encounter.
Think about this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old person wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What teenager 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 problems before he or she becomes an adult?
What young person wants to encounter 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 an individual has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on excessive drinking?
These issues were so significant that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was downright amazing to me was the number of students who simply didn’t care about the dangerous effects of hazardous drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about reality and how these consequences can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to appreciate something that my grandfather used to tell me all through my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
It’s Liberating, Beneficial, and Important to Stay Away From the Unhealthy and Damaging Results of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
And even at my young age, I also started to understand how liberating, important, and beneficial it is in life to keep away from the debilitating and unhealthy consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
