When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that time, I did not comprehend 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 throughout the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol treatment and the diverse alcohol rehab facilities that are regularly available to abusive drinkers.
Some of the negative outcomes linked to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class unquestionably frightened me. The ruined lives and abundant difficulties experienced by most alcohol addicted people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated briefly, I did not want to face the disaster and destruction that alcohol dependent people almost always go through.
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 teen 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 young person wants to go through 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 difficulties 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 teenager want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on irresponsible drinking?
These issues were so noteworthy that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was downright incredible to me was the number of students who essentially didn’t care about the dangerous outcomes of hazardous drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these effects can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to grasp something that my grandfather used to emphasize throughout my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.