When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that time period, I did not understand that alcohol abuse actually was a sub division of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse, 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 over the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehab and the various alcohol rehab facilities that are regularly available to individuals who engage in hazardous drinking.
Some of the harmful outcomes correlated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class without a doubt alarmed me. The ruined lives and frequent problems experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In a word, I did not want to face the disaster and destruction that alcohol dependent individuals almost always encounter.
Reflect on this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old person 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 consuming alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What young person 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 youth wants to go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would a person 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 during the school year. What was absolutely unbelievable to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the harmful effects of hazardous drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be bothered with reality and how these outcomes can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend something that my grandfather used to articulate throughout my adolesence: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
Tags: alcohol abuse, alcohol rehab, alcohol rehab clinics, alcohol treatment, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, alcoholic rehabilitation centers, alcoholism, drug abuse, mental health, self improvement, substance abuseRelated posts
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