When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I took a drug abuse class. At that time period, I did not realize that alcohol abuse actually was a sub division of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and particularly 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 over the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehab and the diverse alcohol rehab clinics that are usually available to individuals who engage in excessive drinking.

Detrimental Results That are Associated With Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the injurious results correlated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably startled me. The ruined lives and abundant problems experienced by most alcoholics made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In a word, I did not want to face the wreckage and ruination that alcohol addicted people almost always go through.

Think about this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual 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 consuming alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What teenager 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 experience 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 totally incredible to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the injurious outcomes of abusive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with the facts and how these consequences can ruin their lives. For the first time in my life I started to figure out something that my grandfather used to emphasize all through my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

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

And even at my young age, I also began to realize how beneficial, important, and energizing it is in life to stay away from the destructive and unhealthy results of alcohol and drug abuse.