My High School Alcohol and Drug Abuse Class

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I registered for a substance abuse class. At that age, I did not comprehend 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 a lot about alcohol treatment and the diverse alcohol rehab clinics that are often available to people who engage in heavy drinking.

Harmful Outcomes That are Correlated With Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the harmful effects related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class absolutely worried me. The ruined lives and frequent difficulties experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. That is, I did not want to face the wreckage and destruction that alcohol addicted people almost always go through.

Ponder upon this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager 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 consuming 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 an adult?

What adolescent wants to deal with 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 centers on hazardous drinking?

These issues were so important that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was absolutely amazing to me was the number of students who essentially didn’t care about the harmful outcomes of hazardous drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be bothered with reality and how these effects can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to grasp a saying that my grandfather used to emphasize 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 Remove Yourself From the Unhealthy and Destructive Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse

And even at my young age, I also started to understand how invigorating, important, and beneficial it is in life to keep away from the unhealthy and damaging outcomes of alcohol and drug abuse.