When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I took a substance abuse class. At that time period, I did not realize that alcohol abuse actually was a sub classification 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 all through the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol treatment and the various alcohol rehab clinics that are typically available to individuals who engage in heavy drinking.

Some of the injurious outcomes associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class certainly scared me. The ruined lives and many problems experienced by most alcohol dependent people 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 dependent people almost always go through.

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 young person wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related issues before he or she becomes twenty-one?

What young person wants to experience 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 a person 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 focuses on excessive drinking?

These issues were so noteworthy that I discussed some of them in class during the school year. What was completely unbelievable to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the harmful outcomes of hazardous drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these consequences can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to grasp a saying that my grandfather used to articulate throughout my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a drug abuse class. At that age, 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, 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 rehab and the various alcohol rehab clinics that are usually available to alcohol abusers.

Some of the damaging outcomes related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably worried me. The ruined lives and numerous problems experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In short, I did not want to face the damage and destruction that alcohol dependent individuals almost always go through.

Let this sink in 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 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 problems before he or she becomes an adult?

What teenager wants to go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to stop 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 young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on hazardous drinking?

These issues were so meaningful that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was downright inconceivable to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the negative consequences of hazardous drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be bothered with the truth and how these outcomes can ruin their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend something that my grandfather used to articulate all through my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.