When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I took a substance abuse class. At that age, I did not realize that alcohol abuse in truth was a sub category of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and above all 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 rehab and the various alcohol rehab facilities that are commonly available to abusive drinkers.

Dangerous Consequences That are Linked to Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the negative outcomes linked to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class certainly terrified me. The ruined lives and countless serious issues 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 damage and destruction that alcohol addicted individuals 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 difficulties before he or she becomes twenty-one?

What adolescent 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 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 young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that centers on irresponsible drinking?

These issues were so meaningful that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was absolutely astounding to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the negative effects of irresponsible drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these consequences can ruin their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend a saying that my grandfather used to say to me throughout my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

It’s Invigorating, Important, and Beneficial to Keep Away From the Unhealthy and Destructive Outcomes of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

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