When I was a sophomore in high school, I registered for a drug abuse class. At that time period, I did not realize 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 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 people all over the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol rehabilitation and the various alcohol rehab clinics that are often available to individuals who engage in abusive drinking.

Dangerous Results That are Associated With Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the detrimental end results linked to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably scared me. The ruined lives and many difficulties experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated differently, I did not want to face the disaster and ruination that alcohol addicted individuals 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 teenager 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 problems before he or she becomes twenty-one?

What youth wants to go through alcohol withdrawals 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 a teenager want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that centers on irresponsible drinking?

These issues were so significant that I talked about some of them in class during the school year. What was entirely astonishing to me was the number of students who essentially didn’t care about the damaging results of excessive drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with the facts and how these results can wreck their lives. For the first time in my life I started to understand something that my grandfather used to emphasize all through my adolesence: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

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

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