When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a substance abuse class. At that time period, I did not realize 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 people all over the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol rehab and the different alcohol rehab facilities that are regularly available to individuals who engage in hazardous drinking.
Harmful Effects That are Correlated With Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the harmful outcomes correlated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class absolutely terrified me. The ruined lives and countless difficulties experienced by most alcohol dependent individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In short, I did not want to face the damage and ruination that alcohol dependent people almost always encounter.
Reflect on this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual 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 drinking 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 young person wants to deal with 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 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 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 meaningful that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was absolutely amazing to me was the number of students who simply didn’t care about the damaging effects of abusive drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be bothered with reality and how these consequences can ruin their lives. For the first time in my life I started to appreciate something that my grandfather used to articulate throughout my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
It’s Invigorating, Important, and Beneficial to Stay Away From the Unhealthy and Debilitating Consequences of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
And even at my young age, I also started to comprehend how liberating, beneficial, and important it is in life to keep yourself from the unhealthy and destructive effects of drug and alcohol abuse.
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