When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a substance abuse class. At that time period, I did not comprehend that alcohol abuse in reality 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 rehabilitation and the different alcohol rehab clinics that are repeatedly available to problem drinkers.

Damaging Results That are Linked to Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the harmful outcomes related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class without a doubt frightened me. The ruined lives and numerous problems experienced by most alcohol dependent individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. More to the point, I did not want to face the wreckage and destruction that alcohol dependent people almost always experience.

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 young person 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 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 problems 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 centers on irresponsible drinking?

These issues were so important that I talked about some of them in class during the school year. What was totally unbelievable to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the negative consequences of excessive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be bothered with the facts and how these effects can wreck their lives. For the first time in my life I started to appreciate a saying that my grandfather used to tell me all through my adolesence: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

It’s Liberating, Beneficial, and Important to Stay Away From the Debilitating and Unhealthy Effects of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

And even at my young age, I also began to realize how beneficial, important, and energizing it is in life to keep yourself from the unhealthy and debilitating outcomes of alcohol and drug abuse.