Jesse had a difficult time keeping a job. In truth, because of her inactivity and lack of drive, she was jobless far more often than she was in a job situation. And when she did land a job, she had an exceedingly difficult time getting to work in a timely manner, she often received less than satisfactory performance assessments, and she called off sick so often that she regularly got fired four or five weeks after she began working. Obviously, one of the results of Jesse’s less than optimal work record was the fact that she was just about flat broke almost on a daily basis.

Despite Jesse’s crummy work record and financial lack of attention, on the other hand, somehow she made it a point to drink abusively much of the time. Not surprisingly, her excessive drinking also resulted in difficulties coping with the grief of her divorce.

Due to her abusive and hazardous drinking, it came as no big surprise when Jesse received a fourth DWI. When she went before the court, the magistrate clearly stated to Jesse that her alcohol-related behavior was shameful and, as a consequence, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend eight months in the city jail.

Time While Locked Up In Jail To Reflect On The Injurious Effects of Hazardous and Excessive Drinking

During her time in the municipal jail, Jesse was required to learn more about alcohol facts, about the unhealthy effects of abusive and hazardous drinking, and she was expected to get alcohol counseling. The judge accentuated the fact that unless Jesse receives professional alcohol rehab and discovers how to live an alcohol-free life, she will probably be spending quite a bit of her time in the local jail.

Jesse articulated that she grasped what the judge was pronouncing but she still claimed that placement in the county jail was not the most effective sentence. The magistrate thought otherwise and claimed that it was his duty to keep alcohol dependent people off the streets who drive under the influence and who get one or more DUIs. To validate this assertion, the judge quoted some honored, highly researched alcohol statistics that underscored some of the damaging results that are related to hazardous and irresponsible drinking.

Even though Jesse realized that she drank in a hazardous and irresponsible manner, she never believed that she was alcohol dependent. So it was a big bombshell when Jesse began experiencing symptoms of alcohol withdrawal just about five-and-a-half hours after going to jail.

To manage her alcohol withdrawals in a safe and secure manner, Jesse was life flighted to a rehab hospital for alcohol detoxification and then brought back to the city jail. While locked up in jail Jesse was given a mental health assessment for her depression and received alcohol treatment but because she received this treatment as something that was imposed upon her, she failed to take ownership of her excessive and abusive drinking.

When her time in the municipal jail was completed, the judge without hesitation told Jesse that she would be under close surveillance and would be required to take random breathalyzer alcohol tests.

Jessie’s Thoughtless Drinking Prevents Her From Living in a Responsible and Effective Manner

After hearing how Jesse was unsuccessful in taking ownership of her drinking problem and how she halfheartedly followed the rehab code of behavior while in jail, the judge knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about her hazardous and abusive drinking behavior. As the magistrate reflected on Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some people never use their brain and learn how to live in an adult and effective manner.

Jesse had an exceedingly hard time maintaining a job. To be sure, due to his indolence and lack of motivation, he was jobless far more regularly than he was in work. And when he did land a job, he had a particularly hard time getting to work when his shift began, he characteristically got less than passing performance reviews, and he called off sick so often that he almost always got fired a few weeks after he began working. To no one’s surprise, one of the results of Jesse’s awful work record was the fact that he was virtually without a dime on a day-to-day basis.

In spite of Jesse’s less than great work history and financial misconduct, on the other hand, somehow he made it a point to drink in an abusive and irresponsible manner on an everyday basis.

So it came as no big shock when Jesse got a second DWI. When he went before the court, the judge explained to Jesse that his alcohol-related behavior was appalling and, consequently, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend nine months in the city jail.

Time In Jail To Reflect On The Harmful Consequences of Excessive Drinking

During his time in the municipal jail, Jesse was expected to learn more about alcohol facts, about the destructive results of irresponsible and excessive drinking, and he was expected to get alcohol counseling. The magistrate stressed the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol treatment and discovers how to live a life of sobriety, he will quite possibly be spending a considerable amount of time placed behind bars.

Jesse said that he understood what the judge was pronouncing but he still proclaimed that placement in the city jail was not the right sentence. The magistrate saw things from an entirely different vantage point and declared that it was his job to keep alcohol addicted people off the streets who drive under the influence and who get multiple DWIs. To substantiate this statement, the magistrate listed some respected, extensively researched alcohol statistics that underscored some of the disruptive effects that are associated with hazardous and excessive drinking.

Although Jesse grasped the fact that he drank in a hazardous and abusive manner, he never believed that he was an alcohol addicted individual. So it was a real bombshell when Jesse started suffering from symptoms of withdrawal just about four-and-a-half hours after getting incarcerated.

To monitor his alcohol withdrawals in a safe and secure manner, Jesse was transferred to a drug and alcohol rehab center for alcohol detox and then returned to the county jail. While behind bars Jesse undertook alcohol treatment but due to the fact that he received this rehabilitation as something that was imposed upon him, he was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his excessive drinking.

When his time behind bars was over, the magistrate without indecision told Jesse that he would be under careful observation and would be mandated to take random blood alcohol tests.

Jessie’s Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Stops Him From Living in a Productive and Mature Manner

After hearing how Jesse was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his drinking situation and how he unenthusiastically followed the therapy procedures while in jail, the magistrate knew that it was essentially a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his excessive drinking behavior. As the judge thought about Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some individuals never ”get it” and discover how to live in a responsible manner.

Merissa and Augie have been dating one another for six years. They met while taking the same American studies class at a relatively large, countryside, liberal arts college located in the Southern part of the U.S. While they were in actual fact good friends at first, they finally started to date when they were in their second year of college.

Since both of them came from very old-fashioned backgrounds, neither one of them drank very much beyond the casual drinking stage when they first started to date. As the time progressed, then again, they began to go to more football bashes, sorority and fraternity parties, happy hours, and keg parties. As a consequence, they little by little began to drink more the longer they saw one another in a dating capacity.

Their Social Life Usually Consisted of Going to Professional Sporting Events, Going to Restaurants Three or Four Nights Per Week, Going to Parties With Their Friends, Going to Happy Hour With Their Friends, and Going With Their Friends to the Local Tavern on the Weekends

After they graduated, they both got jobs in a large city that was approximately fifty miles from their undergraduate college. Then they eventually decided to move into the same apartment with one another.

Due to the fact they were far removed from the college drinking scene, then again, their social life as a rule consisted of going to professional sporting events, going to happy hour with their friends, going to restaurants three or four nights per week, going to parties with their friends, and going to the local nightclub with their buddies on the weekends. Simply put, Augie and Merissa began drinking in an abusive and hazardous manner.

Now that they were living in the same apartment together and beginning to get more earnest about their relationship, however, they started to think about becoming more responsible, getting married, buying a house, and having children.

With any substantial adjustment in an individual’s life there is normally something that initiates the particular change in question. For Augie and Merissa the thought of buying a new house and having children was this “change agent.” Stated another way, for the first time in their lives, Augie and Merissa started to critically appraise their abusive and irresponsible drinking and the long term alcohol effects on their lives.

How Would Their Hazardous and Heavy Drinking Affect Their Finances, Their Mental Health, Their Relationship With Their Parents, Their Ability to Have Children, and Their Relationship With One Another?

Would their heavy and irresponsible drinking unfavorably affect their ability to have children? How would they be able to continue spending a large percentage of their money on drinking if they were to start saving for a new house? How responsible would they be if they had children and continued to drink in an irresponsible and abusive manner? How would they be able to face their parents and tell them about their long term dreams, plans, and hopes while they still drank in an abusive and irresponsible manner while having fun as they did when they were in college? What would their excessive and heavy drinking do to their relationship? How would their heavy drinking affect their mental health?

From a different viewpoint, although neither one of them ever suffered from alcohol poisoning, received a DUI, or experienced alcohol withdrawal symptoms, they realized that their abusive and heavy drinking was becoming a reality that they could not close their eyes to anymore.

After Giving Their Circumstances Much Thought, Augie and Merissa Finally Understood That Their Aspirations, Hopes, and Dreams Would not be Attained if They Continued Their Heavy and Irresponsible Drinking

All of these queries undoubtedly led to the same conclusion: Merissa and Augie needed to realize more fully that they couldn’t continue their hazardous and abusive drinking if their plans, dreams, and hopes were to be met.

Once they came to this conclusion, they told their drinking friends about their goal of buying or building a new house, about their plans to start a family, and about their marital plans. They also told their drinking pals that they still wanted to hang around with them but that they would be drinking responsibly from this point forward so that they could start to realize their future aspirations, dreams, and goals.

Surprisingly, all of their friends expressed relief because they too had been reflecting on their lives and concluded that their life-styles were much too often centered around drinking. They also realized that they would have to change drastically if they were to become more accountable and manifest more forethought for their plans, their careers, and for their health in the next twenty or twenty-five years.

After their heart-to-heart discussion with their pals about their dreams, hopes, and plans, Merissa and Augie actually started to have more meaningful relationships with all of their friends. The main reason for this was the fact that all of them had a similar attitude regarding their heavy and excessive drinking and their relatively short and long-term aspirations, goals, and plans.

Jennifer is a thirty-eight-year-old bank cashier who has been ingesting alcohol in an excessive and irresponsible manner since she and her boyfriend decided to discontinue their relationship. Indeed, for the past eleven months she has been drinking very nearly two bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking more than a few wine coolers all the way through the day.

After feeling dejected because she was beginning to disregard her health, Jennifer at long last told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to quit feeling sorry for herself, that it’s time to quit the hazardous and excessive drinking, and time to get on with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 8:30 AM, she made up her mind to stop drinking completely and suddenly without planning or preparation.

When She Attempted to Quit Drinking She Felt Ill, She Had Utterly No Appetite, She Was Extremely Restless and Moody, She Started to Perspire Profusely, She Vomited Numerous Times, and Her Head Was Pounding

When Jennifer quit drinking, she figured that she would most likely be tempted to have a couple of drinks, but she never assumed that she would feel so awful. More accurately, roughly two hours after she quit drinking, she had utterly no appetite, she vomited numerous times, she started to sweat extensively, her head was aching, and she was extremely moody and anxious.

When she called her best pal and told her that she had quit drinking and that after a few hours she suddenly started to have flu-like symptoms, Dawn, her best pal, told Jennifer to call her doctor and go over what she was feeling.

She Admits to Her Healthcare Professional That She Has Been Drinking Excessively, That She Just Tried to Stop Drinking, and That She is Going Through Horrible Flu-Like Symptoms

So Jennifer called her healthcare practitioner, informed him that she has been drinking in an abusive manner for quite a few months and that when she honestly tried to suddenly stop drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the worst case of the flu that she had ever suffered through.

Her physician informed her that she may be suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms and that she should have someone take her to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.

As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a neighbor to drive her to the hospital. Interestingly, all the way to the hospital, as sick as Jennifer felt, the only thing she could think about was whether or not she was dependent on alcohol.

It seems that her family doctor had called ahead and told the emergency room staff to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by two paramedics who without hesitation told her to get in the wheelchair they had with them. After getting moved to the emergency room and undergoing a few important tests, it was verified that Jennifer was indeed experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.

A medical practitioner gave her some drugs to address her flu-like symptoms and also gave her some meds to help get rid of the alcohol that was still in her system.

An Alcohol Abuse and Substance Abuse Physician Clearly Explains That She is Addicted to Alcohol and Then Discusses What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Dependency Stages Are

After a few hours, Jennifer was taken from the ER and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for around two hours, Doctor Myers, an alcohol abuse and substance abuse specialist, came to see her. He took plenty of time and explained in laymen’s language that Jennifer had suffered through alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she stopped drinking because she had become an alcoholic.

He then elucidated the fact that with repeated and excessive drinking, the individual’s brain in a step-by-step fashion adjusts to the alcohol so that it can carry out tasks and operations in a “normal” fashion. When the individual then suddenly refrains from ingesting alcohol, it can be noted, the brain takes action by bringing forth alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Moreover, her physician also explained in a clear fashion the different alcoholism stages that an alcoholic commonly suffers through as the disease gets progressively worse as time goes by.

It is Confirmed that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcoholism and She Obtains a Good Forecast For a Total Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Dependency Rehab She Requires

Fortunately for Jennifer, it was established that she was in the first stage of alcohol dependency and, as a consequence, she obtained a favorable prognosis for a complete recovery if she will get the alcohol dependency rehab she requires.

Jennifer told the healthcare professional that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to restore her life and her health. She also stated that she has an excellent hospitalization plan that will more likely than not pay for most, if not all, of the costs needed for treatment. It was apparent that Jennifer was quite grateful about her optimistic medical prognosis and felt at ease knowing that she will be able to get the alcoholism rehab she requires so that she can start on the road to recovery.

Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most financially challenged co-educational high school in the district. Although she had been teaching for only five years, she had already established a reputation as a teacher with a teaching approach that motivated and encouraged her students to think and to learn.

For example, one Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 she addressed the pupils in her classroom and said the following: “For the next three or four days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more broad-based viewpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most highly researched signs of alcoholism from a less general and explicit standpoint.

Not all of these alcoholism signs will positively prove that a drinker with a drinking problem is an alcoholic, but the more signs that a person exhibits, the greater the probability that he or she is a person who is alcohol dependent.”

Miss Benning then informed the students in the class that each individual would be accountable for examining three alcohol addiction signs and then presenting his or her results to the other members in the class via a ten minute oral presentation.

The Students are Enthused About Giving A Broad-Based Presentation to Their Fellow Students About Alcohol Addiction Signs

After learning about the different signs of alcoholism for a number of days, the time had come for the oral presentations. It was instantaneously evident that the students were enthused about the subject matter because the information that they presented was superb. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the fervor manifested by the pupils in her classroom concerning this topic was an understatement.

The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were discussed and presented in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked her students to go over the list and rank the top nine alcohol addiction signs that were most indicative of alcohol dependency. After roughly twenty minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and told the students in her classroom that after she analyzes the results, she will present her findings the next school day.

There was some real anticipation by the pupils while they were exiting Miss Benning’s class. One could swear that her students couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive so that they could learn about the results of their in-class research.

The Pupils Contrast Their Numbers With the Assessments From A Team of Chemical Dependency Specialists

When the next school day came, Miss Benning handed out a piece of paper that listed the top four alcohol addiction signs according to the students’ rankings. Next to these results, she included another column that was labeled “correct response.” She then informed her pupils that the numbers in the additional column she added stood for the answers that were given by a council of substance abuse authorities.

Miss Benning told her students to look over the information she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any concerns, questions, or issues. Within 10 or 20 seconds, almost every pupil in the classroom raised his or her hand. It was evident that the students had some concerns, questions, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. For example, just about every person in the class had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the specialists, to be precise, “Do you feel unusually nauseous when you abstain from drinking?”

The Major Difference Between Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse is the Physical Dependency That is Experienced With Alcoholism and Not With Alcohol Abuse

Miss Benning then explained to the students in her class why this answer was the most accurate sign of alcohol addiction. She pointed out the fact that the central difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.

Basically this means that when an individual who is alcohol dependent abruptly stops drinking, he or she will suffer through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated more precisely, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling a person who is alcohol dependent that something is terribly out of kilter and needs to be fixed. These signals consist of several uncomfortable, painful, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a fatality if the appropriate therapy is not promptly obtained.

Miss Benning then discussed the many different alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when a person who is alcohol dependent abruptly stops drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to underscore was this: a person who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one symptom or sign that few, if any, alcohol abusers ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To explain this as precisely as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the point that alcohol abusers, unlike people who are addicted to alcohol, are not alcohol dependent and as a consequence, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Students Think They Have Found An Inconsistency With the Findings From The Group of Alcohol Addiction Specialists

The pupils also disagreed with the second ranked answer given by the alcohol dependency professionals, to be exact, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to get rid of a hangover or to steady your nerves?”

Miss Benning informed the pupils in her classroom that this sign does not inevitably mean that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does point to the need that alcohol addicted individuals have to drink in order to avert alcohol withdrawals.

After Miss Benning explained the relevance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the person who is alcohol dependent, the pupils started to grasp the basic difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

To add a sense of closure to the subject matter, Miss Benning asked the pupils in her class to take out a piece of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is alcohol dependent knew about every one of the alcohol addiction signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would ask for alcohol addiction rehabilitation?”

After approximately two or three minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ predictions. While many pupils believed that approximately 85 to 95 percent of individuals who are addicted to alcohol would seek alcohol addiction rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs, most of the students thought that this number would not be less than 65 percent.

The Students Were Astonished to Discover That Only 25% of Alcohol Addicted Individuals in the U.S. Obtain Alcohol Rehab

To the amazement of most of the students, Miss Benning acknowledged that according to various scientific investigations, only 25% of the people who are alcohol dependent in the United States obtain alcohol dependency rehab. This shocked most of the pupils because they reasoned that first-hand knowledge of the disgusting statistics and facts correlated with alcoholism would motivate the majority of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol to obtain alcohol dependency treatment.

Miss Benning then explained that alcohol addicted people not only need alcohol everyday in order to function but they also require alcohol on an everyday basis so they can stay away from possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Obviously, the alcohol addicted person’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than facts or logic. To be sure, since the thirst for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol dependent individual, this is a challenging issue that is hard to change.

A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating that the end of class had arrived. Based on the buzz manifested by the students when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning knew that she had encouraged and inspired her pupils to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our country.

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I took a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not grasp the fact that alcohol abuse in reality 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 a lot about alcohol rehabilitation and the various alcohol rehab facilities that are often available to individuals who engage in hazardous drinking.

Some of the detrimental results related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class definitely frightened me. The ruined lives and many serious issues experienced by most alcohol dependent people 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 disaster and destruction that alcohol dependent individuals almost always experience.

Think about this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual 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 drinking 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 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 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 centers on abusive drinking?

These issues were so meaningful that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was downright unbelievable to me was the number of students who essentially didn’t care about the harmful results of hazardous drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about the facts and how these outcomes can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to appreciate something that my grandfather used to articulate all through my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a substance abuse class. At that time, I did not realize that alcohol abuse in point of fact 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 people all over the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehabilitation and the different alcohol rehab clinics that are regularly available to individuals who engage in excessive drinking.

Some of the detrimental effects related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class unquestionably scared me. The ruined lives and countless difficulties experienced by most alcohol addicted people 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 destruction that alcohol addicted people almost always experience.

Reflect on 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 drinking 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 young person wants to encounter 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 a young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that centers on hazardous drinking?

These issues were so important that I talked about some of them in class during the school year. What was entirely astounding to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the damaging consequences of excessive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about reality and how these outcomes can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend a saying that my grandfather used to tell me all through my adolesence: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.