When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a drug abuse class. At that time, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in reality 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 quite a bit about alcohol rehabilitation and the different alcohol rehab clinics that are habitually available to alcohol abusers.

Some of the detrimental effects linked to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class certainly alarmed me. The ruined lives and frequent problems experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. That is, I did not want to face the disaster and devastation that alcohol dependent individuals almost always encounter.

Reflect on 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 teen 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 teenager wants to encounter alcohol withdrawals 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 a young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on excessive drinking?

These issues were so important that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was utterly astounding to me was the number of students who essentially didn’t care about the dangerous effects of irresponsible drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these effects 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 all through my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in reality was a sub category 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 people throughout the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol treatment and the diverse alcohol rehab facilities that are regularly available to individuals who engage in abusive drinking.

Some of the negative end results related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class definitely worried me. The ruined lives and abundant serious issues experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In short, I did not want to face the wreckage and ruination that alcohol dependent individuals almost always experience.

Think about this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old teenager 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 ingesting 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 issues before he or she becomes an adult?

What teenager wants to deal with alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to quit 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 a person 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 revolves around hazardous drinking?

These issues were so noteworthy that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was utterly unbelievable to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the injurious outcomes of hazardous drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these outcomes can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to figure out a saying that my grandfather used to emphasize all through my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.