What I Learned About Drug and Alcohol Addiction in High School
November 03, 2009When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I took a substance abuse class. At that time period, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in point of fact was a sub category 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 quite a bit about alcohol rehab and the various alcohol rehab facilities that are normally available to individuals who engage in hazardous drinking.
Detrimental Consequences That are Related to Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the dangerous outcomes linked to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably worried me. The ruined lives and abundant difficulties experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In short, I did not want to face the disaster and destruction that alcohol dependent people almost always encounter.
Ponder upon 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 drinking 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 issues before he or she becomes an adult?
What adolescent wants to encounter alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to stop 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 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 noteworthy that I talked about some of them in class during the school year. What was absolutely inconceivable to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the harmful effects of abusive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about reality and how these outcomes can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to understand a saying that my grandfather used to tell me throughout my adolesence: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
It’s Beneficial, Important, and Liberating to Remove Yourself From the Destructive and Unhealthy Effects of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
And even at my young age, I also began to understand how invigorating, important, and beneficial it is in life to keep away from the unhealthy and debilitating consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.













