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November 13, 2009

An Impatient High School Student Displays A Number of Alcohol-Related Issues, Gets Thrown Out of School, and Has to See the School Psychologist

Dante was a sixteen year old high school sophomore who was displaying numerous alcohol-related issues at school. As a result, the principal explained to him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, before he would be allowed to come back to school.

Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to go over his school discharge with his Mother and Father. His Mother and Father were “fairly old-style” and explained to Dante that getting suspended from school was not a satisfactory educational game plan. They informed Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his legs that could quite possibly hinder his educational achievement for the rest of his life. Furthermore, Dante’s Mother and Father were very disturbed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his friends in the second.

His parents told Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to comprehend fairly rapidly that drinking is the path to ill health, financial problems, failure, and pain.

It was apparent that his parents were completely in concurrence with Dante’s principal and explained to Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school psychologist. After his chat with his Mother and Father, Dante at long last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his sixth period class.

The Counselor Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Activities Caused Quite a Bit of Anxiety By the School Administrators

When Dante went to see Miss Johnson, she instantaneously went over all of the alcohol-related difficulties Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior made the school administrators uneasy.

Quite frankly, Dante was unsure why the principal suggested that he see a school therapist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking activities? Since virtually all of his buddies drink the same amount that he does, primarily, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated another way, if just about everyone is drinking, why is this such a big deal?

Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older classmates introduced him to drinking wine when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his buddies may in fact drink as much as he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting thrown out of school due to alcohol-related delinquency, absenteeism, and fighting, not his classmates. Moreover, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his classmates, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of school every week because of his alcohol related difficulties. Finally, Miss Johnson underlined the fact that due to his drinking situation, Dante is getting into a dangerous cycle of excessive drinking that can sooner or later wreck his hopes, dreams and aspirations.

In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was starting to impede his ability to act like a responsible young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your peers drink wine, wine coolers, beer, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the best option for you.”

Dante Learns That In the Long Run He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Unhealthy, Damaging, Destructive, and Dangerous Situations In the Foreseeable Future

Miss Johnson informed Dante that others can definitely influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to sooner or later be responsible for himself or herself in order to avert destructive, damaging, unhealthy, and dangerous consequences down the road.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was well prepared for her appointment with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that summarized different drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a bit of data that applied principally to teenagers.

For instance, Miss Johnson stressed the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and explained to Dante that drinkers who continue to drink abusively often become alcohol dependent.

Miss Johnson also discussed the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: consuming four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking five or more drinks in one sitting for males.

The Psychologist States Several Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts

Then Miss Johnson stated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:

1. Alcohol is an issue in almost fifty percent of America’s suicides, accidental deaths, and suicides.

2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among teenagers.

3. Each year in the U.S., nearly 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die because of underage drinking. This includes about 1,900 fatalities from motor vehicle accidents.

4. Research has shown that U.S. teens who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teenagers who never drink alcoholic beverages.

5. Roughly 1,700 college students in the United States are killed each year–about 4.65 a day–as a consequence of injuries that are alcohol related.

6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 asserted that they involve themselves in drinking while driving.

7. The World Health Organization projects that around 76 million people throughout the world have disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction.

8. As demonstrated by recent alcohol abuse studies, it has been discovered that approximately 53% of the adults in the United States have claimed that one or more of their close relatives is an alcohol abuser or is addicted to alcohol.

Dante Gets A Much Needed Jolt of Reality Regarding the Short Term and the Long Term Effects of Teen Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction

After Miss Johnson stated the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts, it was obvious that what Miss Johnson revealed to Dante was a realization for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to put in plain words the short term and the long term effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, but she also made the effort to verify what she was saying with alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to people in general, and principally to underage drinkers.

Without a doubt, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante without pause comprehended why he should not be engaging in abusive and excessive drinking with or without his classmates anymore. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the information she discussed.

Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol rehabilitation he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical and to go through a thorough evaluation of his drinking condition so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program without pause.

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A Distressed High School Student Displays A Number of Alcohol-Related Difficulties, Gets Discharged From School, and Has to See the School Therapist

Dante was a fifteen year old high school sophomore who was exhibiting a number of alcohol-related issues at school. For that reason, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor, before he would be permitted to come back to class.

Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school expulsion to his Mom and Dad. His parents were “relatively old-style” and explained to Dante that getting kicked out of school was not a practical educational game plan. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would likely be like a lead weight around his ankles that could probably mar his educational achievement for the remainder of his life. Furthermore, Dante’s parents were very displeased that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his classmates in the second.

They informed Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to realize fairly rapidly that drinking is the route to pain, ill health, failure, and financial problems.

It was plain to see that his parents were in total agreement with Dante’s principal and informed Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist. After his dialogue with his parents, Dante in the end agreed to see Miss Johnson the next day. So Dante phoned the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his fifth period class.

The Therapist Asks Dante if He Comprehends Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Gave the School Administrators Room For Alarm

When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she at once reviewed all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior caused quite a bit of apprehension by the school administrators.

Quite frankly, Dante wondered why the principal suggested that he see a school counselor. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking circumstances? Since virtually all of his friends drink as much if not more than he does, primarily, drinking is no big issue. Stated more forcefully, if nearly everyone is drinking, why is this such a major issue?

Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older friends introduced him to drinking beer when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter junior high school.

Miss Johnson informed Dante that while his friends may in fact drink more than he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting expelled from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his peers. What is more, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least one day of school per week due to his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson emphasized the fact that due to his drinking behavior, Dante is getting into a dangerous cycle of abusive drinking that can finally ruin his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

In short, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was beginning to foil his ability to behave like a responsible young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your classmates drink beer, wine coolers, hard liquor, or wine does not mean that it is the correct behavior for you.”

Dante Learns That Eventually He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Damaging, Destructive, Unhealthy, and Dangerous Effects In the Future

Miss Johnson told Dante that other people can undoubtedly influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to in the long run be accountable for himself or herself in order to stay away from destructive, damaging, unhealthy, and dangerous outcomes in the foreseeable future.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was well equipped for her scheduled appointment with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that summarized diverse drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a lot of information that applied principally to adolescents.

For instance, Miss Johnson explained the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and informed Dante that people who continue to abuse alcohol often become dependent on alcohol.

Miss Johnson also discussed the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: ingesting four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females.

The Therapist Presents More Than a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Statistics and Facts

Then Miss Johnson stated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:

1. Alcohol is an issue in around half of America’s accidental deaths, suicides, and murders.

2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among teenagers.

3. Each year in the U.S., around 5,000 youth under the age of 21 lose their lives as a result of underage drinking. This includes almost 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes.

4. Research has demonstrated that U.S. teenagers who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teenagers who never consume alcohol.

5. Approximately 1,700 college students in the United States lose their lives each year–approximately 4.65 per day–as a result of alcohol-related injuries.

6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 reported that they involve themselves in driving under the influence of alcohol.

7. The World Health Organization projects that about 76 million individuals throughout the world suffer from disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcoholism.

8. According to recent drug and alcohol abuse research findings, it has been learned that just about 53% of the adults in the U.S. have reported that one or more of their close relatives is an alcohol abuser or an alcoholic.

Dante Receives A Much Needed Wake Up Call About the Short Term and the Long Term Consequences of Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency

After Miss Johnson conveyed the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency statistics and facts, it was evident that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a real jolt to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to go over the short term and the long term effects of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also took the time to support what she was saying with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts that related to everyone in general, and mainly to today’s youth.

Definitely, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante promptly grasped why he should not be engaging in abusive and excessive drinking with or without his pals anymore. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the material she went over.

Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol evaluation for the alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get a comprehensive physical examination and to go through an extensive assessment of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program without pause.

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November 2, 2009

Enabling, Alcohol Dependency, and Alcohol Relapse

It is remarkable to mention something that family members who have been adversely affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member obviously do not comprehend. It seems that by protecting the alcohol dependent person with lies and deceitfulness to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have basically created a situation that makes it easier for the alcoholic to persist and press forward with his or her damaging, detrimental style of life.

Undeniably, instead of helping the alcoholic and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have mistakenly helped worsen the alcoholic’s drinking problem even more.

Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcoholic will continue drinking in an abusive and hazardous manner and suffer from different “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include diminished mental functioning, deteriorating relationships, serious financial problems, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DWIs), employment difficulties, and ill health.

Relapses Can and Do Occur From Time to Time

According to the research literature and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol dependency issue has to do with alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol addicted individual has fruitfully undergone alcohol dependency rehab and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this situation flies in the face of rational thinking and seems so doubtful that it forces a person to question why anyone who has gone through the awfulness of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol rehab and in turn after reaching sobriety. There are, of course, many likely reasons for this.

It should be highlighted, nevertheless that alcohol dependency research that has focused on the long-term outcomes of alcohol addiction has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted person has halted his or her drinking, critical transformations in the way in which the alcohol addicted person’s brain works are still present. As a consequence, all a recovering alcohol dependent person has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the alterations that have occurred in the brain is to begin drinking once again.

A Requirement for A Radical Lifestyle Modification

There are additional reasons why numerous recovering alcohol dependent individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. In accordance to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make a successful recovery, the alcoholic needs new ways of reacting and thinking in order to deal more competently with tough alcohol-related situations that will take place.

Circumstances such as returning to the same alcohol addictive atmosphere or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcohol dependent person was drinking excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these situations can bring forth memories that can trigger psychological anxiety or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcohol addicted person to engage in hazardous drinking once again. Unfortunately, all of these circumstances may not only work against ongoing sobriety for the alcohol addicted person but they can also result in relapse and consequently negate one’s sobriety.

The Good News: Quality Help is Readily Available

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted person, family members can in fact cause inadvertent destruction by enabling the unhealthy drinking behavior of the alcoholic.

The alcoholism research literature highlights the fact that most individuals who successfully complete alcohol treatment experience at least one relapse. Alcoholics and their family members need to know this so that they do not get dejected or stressed out when a relapse takes place.

Luckily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up therapy and training have resulted in more successful, long standing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency treatment outcomes, have helped diminish alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent individuals reach ongoing sobriety.

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October 31, 2009

A High School Student Almost Dies From Alcohol Poisoning

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Jeffrey was a high school freshman who typically seemed to be living on the edge. Jeffrey had a daring personality and typically wanted to do what his older brothers were doing. The underlying difficulty with this was that all three of his brothers were at least 21 years old and were for than reason able from a legal vantage point to operate a truck or car and to drink alcohol.

Jeffrey, in spite of this, had a rough time comprehending the fact that as a fifteen-year-old youth he should not be drinking. In fact, however, Jeffrey commonly drank with his pals after school, especially on the weekends.

One weekend, Jeffrey decided to drive around with some of his older buddies. One of his friends was old enough to buy alcohol. After purchasing some beer, wine, and wine coolers, Jeffrey and all of his buddies went to a park and drank for something like two hours.

A Young Man Loses Consciousness

After drinking roughly ten glasses of wine, Jeffrey started to feel nauseous and then vomited. When he became unconscious on the tennis court, one of his buddies called 911 for immediate help. It was fortunate that the call for medical help was made because when his buddies went to the hospital to see Jeffrey, they found out that Jeffrey had been going through alcohol poisoning symptoms. More precisely, Jeffrey had experienced an alcohol overdose.

When Your Cronies Drink Excessively

Jeffrey had learned that drinking a great deal can lead to an alcohol overdose but he never thought that this would happen to him. After all, some of his guy friends time after time boasted that they could drink two or three six packs of beer in a few hours without suffering from any significant difficulties.

Armed with this information, Jeffrey was in reality flabbergasted to realize that he had overdosed on alcohol because he “only” had roughly ten drinks. When he told this to the attending doctor at the hospital, then again, the healthcare practitioner informed Jeffrey that drinking ten cans of beer over a two or three hour time frame could in fact be significantly more alcohol than can be metabolized by the body. The healthcare practitioner further articulated how too much alcohol can cause the brain to shut down an individual’s breathing and that when this transpires, an individual can perish.

The First Warning of Excessive Drinking

This was the first word of warning to Jeffrey that he was drinking in a harmful manner and that there are effects for such behavior. The doctor told Jeffrey that he was a fortunate young man because he almost perished from an alcohol overdose the night before.

The physicain also spoke to Jeffrey’s parents and suggested that they get alcohol treatment for Jeffrey. His parents were elated that Jeffrey was out of harm’s way and told the physicain that they would follow through on getting Jeffrey alcohol rehab.

While conversing with his parents, Jeffrey notified them that there must be a good reason why he did not die and that he felt a sense of thankfulness that he was still alive. He also notified his parents that the odd part about the entire drinking event was that he had learned about alcohol poisoning the previous six week grading period in health class at school.

When Paying Attention in Class Can Affect Your Life

At the time, what his health instructor, Mr. Franklin, was articulating didn’t seem to make too much sense to Jeffrey. Now that he almost passed away, however, he felt that he should have listened more carefully in class and applied what he had learned to his life.

Jeffrey informed his parents that he couldn’t wait to go to Mr. Franklin’s classroom and express regret to Mr. Franklin for not demonstrating more attention to something that was as important as learning about alcohol abuse and how to stay away from alcohol poisoning.

His parents smiled at Jeffrey and said that they were happy with the way he was being responsible for his harmful behavior. All he had to do now was to let this near-death experience make an impact his life in a beneficial manner so that he would never again suffer through a case of alcohol poisoning.

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October 28, 2009

When Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Results in Serious Health Problems

For several years alcohol addiction exploration has demonstrated the fact that there is strong linkage between alcohol dependency and serious health conditions.

For example, in 2005, scientific research and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion per year. It may be noted that this massive alcohol-related expense was significantly more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is appropriate to underline these facts, it is also important to emphasize the point that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health problems.

To be exact, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.

Definitely, substance abuse exploration has revealed that alcohol dependency can boost the risk for different types of cancer, especially cancer of the kidneys, rectum, colon, voice box (larynx), esophagus, throat, and the liver. Hazardous and recurring drinking can also result in immune system issues and abnormality to the fetus during pregnancy.

Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Breaks Down the Problem Drinker’s Organs and Systems

Additionally, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will probably be affected in an unsafe manner. For instance, repeated, abusive drinking is particularly dangerous to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Excessive amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to redevelop. This medical condition results in a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can ultimately lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and possibly terminal disease.Excessive, long-term drinking not only can lead to critical liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this critical may be unalterable and may, in turn, lead to serious illness or an early death.

The Relevance of Alcohol Treatment

It is critical, consequently, to know how to identify the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcoholic can be given the opportunity to seek the professional alcohol counseling he or she needs.

Alcoholism and Sophisticated Brain Exploration

Fortunately, medical exploration is relentlessly finding unique and significant information. Recent alcoholism research supplies a first-rate example. More to the point, for approximately the past ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning devices have shown that repetitive and long-term irresponsible drinking alters the configuration of the brain to a significant extent, as a consequence resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or perhaps as long as the individual exists.

Stated another way, medical exploration has demonstrated that people who have been drinking in a hazardous manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing lasting and severe changes in the brain.

This type of damage may be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health or directly related to the alcohol’s effects on the brain or to severe liver disease.

Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Excessive Drinking

As a final illustration of diverse medical problems that are to a large extent correlated to alcoholism, consider that in accordance with medical research, the abusive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a medical condition that reduces the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

This kind of organ failure is linked to malnutrition and to an assortment of critical neurological and mental disorders including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter health problem is a lasting debilitating condition that is exemplified by recurring memory and learning problems.

Summary

It is evident that repetitive, hazardous drinking is directly or indirectly related to numerous acute medical problems that can and do lead to dangerous illness and premature death. Such information needs to be emphasized and presented to everyone in our society so that most individuals will be able to refrain from irresponsible drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the quality rehabilitation they require.

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October 27, 2009

A Ninth Grader Experiences An Alcohol Overdose

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Jeffrey was a high school freshman who frequently seemed to be living on the edge. Jeffrey had a risk taking personality and as a rule wanted to do what his older brothers were doing for fun. The basic glitch with this was that all three of his brothers were at least 21 years old and were for than reason within their legal rights to drive a vehicle and to consume alcohol.

Jeffrey, nevertheless, had a rough time realizing the fact that as a fifteen-year-old teen he should not be drinking alcoholic beverages. In fact, then again, Jeffrey normally drank with his buddies after school, primarily on the weekends.

One weekend, Jeffrey made up his mind to drive around with some of his older friends. One of his guy friends was old enough to buy alcohol. After purchasing some wine, beer, and wine coolers, Jeffrey and all of his pals went to a recreational area and drank for around two or three hours.

A Young Man Passes Out

After drinking approximately ten alcoholic benerages, Jeffrey started to feel nauseous and then threw up. When he became unconscious on the football field, one of his cronies called 911 for immediate medical assistance. It was fortunate that the call for emergency help was made because when his pals went to the hospital to see Jeffrey, they learned that Jeffrey had been going through alcohol poisoning symptoms. In short, Jeffrey had experienced a case of alcohol poisoning.

When Your Cronies Drink Excessively

Jeffrey had learned that drinking in an abusive manner can result in alcohol poisoning but he never thought that this could ever happen to him. After all, some of his cronies over and over again argued that they could drink an entire case of beer in a few hours without experiencing any major difficulties.

Armed with this information, Jeffrey was in reality flabbergasted to gather that he had overdosed on alcohol because he “only” had approximately ten alcoholic beverages. When he stated this to the attending physicain at the hospital, conversely, the healthcare professional told Jeffrey that drinking ten glasses of wine over a two or three hour period of time could in fact be substantially more alcohol than can be processed by the body. The healthcare professional further conveyed how significant amounts of alcohol can cause the brain to shut down an individual’s breathing and that when this happens, an individual can expire.

The First Warning of Abusive Drinking

This was the first cautionary message to Jeffrey that he was drinking in a risky fashion and that there are costs for such deeds. The physicain told Jeffrey that he was a lucky person because he almost perished from an alcohol overdose the night before.

The physicain also spoke to Jeffrey’s parents and suggested that they get alcohol rehab for Jeffrey. His parents were thrilled that Jeffrey was safe and informed the healthcare professional that they would look into getting Jeffrey alcohol rehab.

While chatting with his parents, Jeffrey told them that there must be a good reason why he did not die and that he felt a sense of thankfulness that he was still alive. He also told his parents that the peculiar part about the entire drinking event was that he had learned about alcohol poisoning last week in health class.

When Paying Attention in Class Can Affect Your Life

At the time, what his health instructor, Mr. Franklin, was articulating didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to Jeffrey. Due to the fact that he almost passed away, on the other hand, he felt that he should have listened more attentively in class and applied what he had learned to his personal life.

Jeffrey notified his parents that he couldn’t wait to go back to Mr. Franklin’s classroom and express regret to Mr. Franklin for not demonstrating more attention to a subject that was as noteworthy as learning about alcohol abuse and how to keep away from an alcohol overdose.

His parents smiled at Jeffrey and said that they were elated with the way he was being accountable for his unsafe drinking actions. All he had to do now was to let this life threatening experience change his life in a productive way so that he would never again experience an alcohol overdose.

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October 25, 2009

What I Learned About Alcohol and Drug Abuse in High School

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I registered for a drug abuse class. At that time period, 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 and particularly 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 over the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehab and the diverse alcohol rehab facilities that are repeatedly available to people who engage in excessive drinking.

Dangerous Results That are Related to Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse

Some of the damaging effects related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably worried me. The ruined lives and countless problems experienced by most alcohol dependent individuals 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.

Let this sink in 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 difficulties before he or she becomes twenty-one?

What teenager wants to deal with 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 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 an adolescent 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 essentially didn’t care about the detrimental outcomes of excessive 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 something that my grandfather used to say to me all through my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.

It’s Beneficial, Important, and Energizing to Stay Away From the Debilitating and Unhealthy Results of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

And even at my young age, I also started to comprehend how important, beneficial, and enlivening it is in life to stay away from the destructive and unhealthy end results of drug and alcohol abuse.

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October 18, 2009

A Woman Displays Signs of Depression and Alcohol Addiction and Schedules an Appointment to See Her Healthcare Professional About Her Hazardous and Abusive Drinking

Teresa was a thirty-seven-year-old accounts payable manager who knew that she had some drinking issues. As an illustration, within the past three months she has felt the need to have one or two drinks before going to work, a week ago she failed to pass a random blood alcohol test where she works, two months ago she got stopped by the police for a DWI, and finally, for the last five months she has begun to fail to remember what she does and says when she goes out drinking with her friends.

Not unlike many other people, Teresa’s experiences with alcohol began at a “snail’s pace” and stayed at this pace for quite a long time because every once in a while she engaged in occasional social drinking. As a matter of fact, for around nine months, every time she went out with her buddies to drink, she made sure to drink responsibly. Something about her pattern of drinking, nonetheless, seemed to fundamentally change when she got divorced.

So She Can Endure the Divorce of Her Husband In a More Pain Free Manner, Teresa Determined That She Will Start Associating More Often With Some of Her Pals Who Love to ”Get Down” and Drink

Teresa got exceedingly despondent about the breakup with her husband, and as a way to quit her preoccupation with her disheartening feelings she came to the conclusion that she would start going out more frequently with some of her friends who love to have fun and drink.

Quite honestly, Teresa figured that having fun just about every day by drinking with her pals would help her rise above the divorce of her husband in a less wearisome manner.

Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Greatly the More Habitually She Goes to Sporting Events, Family Get-Togethers, Private Parties, Happy Hours, and Dinner Dates With Her Buddies

It didn’t take long, however, before her drinking escalated to a significant extent the more habitually she went to and drank at family get-togethers, sporting events, private parties, dinner dates, and happy hours with her buddies. Not only this, but the fact that her drinking buddies were all many years younger than she was and therefore able to party more thoughtlessly was one of the reasons why she didn’t focus more on her increased drinking. In brief, she was having fun drinking just like everybody else in her group of pals without giving too much consideration about the unhealthy results of her irresponsible and abusive drinking.

Yet somewhere in the recesses of her brain she realized that she most likely needed alcohol rehabilitation but stayed away from the thought as much as humanly possible.

Teresa Gets a Physical Exam, Discloses the Facts About Her Abusive and Hazardous Drinking to Her Physician, and Acknowledges Her Constant Negativity

One afternoon during her yearly physical exam, her physician asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to tell falsehoods to her healthcare practitioner, Teresa admitted that she frequently drinks more than she should. As a matter of fact, she stated that she regularly drinks in a hazardous and abusive manner. Then Teresa informed her healthcare practitioner about her melancholy. More specifically, she articulated that wrecked relationships more often than not started a disheartening cycle of events typified by increased drinking which further led to more negative feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is exactly what took place when her husband and she got divorced six months ago.

When her healthcare professional heard this, he told Teresa that according to various alcoholism facts and statistics on alcoholism he was investigating, alcoholism and depression commonly happen in the same person. He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been studying also point out that people who drink in an excessive manner and who also suffer from depression need to get treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Healthcare Practitioner Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Assessment

Teresa’s physician then said the following: “I am not trying to make an overly quick analysis, but with your medical situation we may be dealing with two separate problems. Consequently, I think we ought to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse assessment from my partner, Dr. Ballas, who is an alcohol abuse and substance abuse specialist. Whether your drinking problem is more associated with alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse is unknown at this time, but I believe that further evaluation is defensible. Then I think we need to schedule an appointment for you to get a psychological assessment from another one of my partners, Dr. Cooke, who is a psychologist. I want to get a better understanding about your depression and see how much your drinking and depression are interrelated.” Teresa expressed her satisfaction with her healthcare professional’s “game plan” and thanked him for his assistance and concern. Now all she had to do was to try to reduce her drinking and wait for her appointments.

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October 15, 2009

A Health Teacher in the Largest Parochial High School in the Local Community Teaches Her Pupils About the Relevance of Alcohol Addiction Signs

Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most underfinanced co-ed high school in the district. Although she had been teaching for only three years, she had already achieved a reputation as a person with teaching approaches that inspired and stimulated students to think and to learn.

For instance, one Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 she addressed the students in her class and said the following: “For the next four or five days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a general standpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most highly researched signs of alcoholism from a more specific perspective.”

“Not all of these alcoholism signs will beyond doubt validate that someone with a drinking problem is an alcohol addicted person, but the more signs that an individual displays, the stronger the probability that he or she is an alcohol addicted person.”

Miss Benning then informed the members in the class that each person would be accountable for studying two alcohol dependence signs and then presenting his or her conclusions to the rest of the class via a nine minute oral presentation.

The Pupils are Keyed Up About Giving An Extensive Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About Alcohol Addiction Signs

After learning about the diverse signs of alcohol dependency for quite a few days, the time had finally arrived for the student presentations. It was at once evident that her students were keyed up about the subject because the information that they presented was superb. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the interest manifested by the students in her class concerning this subject was an understatement.

The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were presented and discussed in the presentations and in class. Miss Benning then asked her pupils to study the list and rank the top eight alcohol addiction signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After about ten minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and explained to the students in her class that after she reviews the results, she will discuss her findings the next school day.

There was some real anticipation by the pupils while they were walking out of Miss Benning’s classroom. One could swear that her students couldn’t wait for the next day to come so that they could find out the outcome of their in-class research.

The Students Compare Their Answers With the Assessments From A Group of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Specialists

When the next school day finally arrived, Miss Benning gave out a piece of paper that listed the top five alcohol addiction signs as per the students’ rankings. To the right of these results, she added another column that was labeled “correct answer.” She then explained to her students that the numbers in the additional column she added represented the answers that were constructed by a group of chemical dependency experts.

Miss Benning told her pupils to look over the information on the sheet of paper she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, concerns, or questions. Within 20 or 30 seconds, just about every pupil in the class raised his or her hand. It was evident that the students had some questions, concerns, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the specialists. As an illustration, almost every person in the class disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the authorities, to be precise, “Do you feel very sick when you quit drinking?”

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

Miss Benning then told her pupils why this answer was the most precise indicator of alcohol addiction. She underlined the fact that the chief difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol addiction and not with alcohol abuse.

For all intents and purposes this means that when an alcohol dependent individual abruptly quits drinking, he or she will suffer through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then explained to her pupils that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more precisely, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling an individual who is addicted to alcohol that something is dreadfully out of kilter and needs to be rectified. These signals consist of a number of uncomfortable, painful, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to an individual’s death if the proper treatment is not promptly obtained.

Miss Benning then went over the multitude of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly stops drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to underscore was this: an alcohol abuser can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol addiction signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, alcohol abusers ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To articulate this as clearly as possible, Miss Benning pointed out that alcohol abusers, unlike individuals who are addicted to alcohol, are not alcohol dependent and consequently, when they quit drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Think They Have Uncovered An Incongruity With the Findings From The Board of Substance Abuse Experts

The pupils also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the alcoholism authorities, that is, “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 her students that this sign does not inevitably indicate that the problem is alcohol addiction, but that it does underline the need that alcohol addicted people have to drink in order to stay away from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the importance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol dependent person, the pupils started to understand the main difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

To add a sense of closure to the subject, Miss Benning asked the students in her class to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is addicted to alcohol knew about every one of the alcohol dependency signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would obtain alcohol rehab?”

After about three or four minutes, Miss Benning asked for the students’ responses. While many pupils reasoned that about 80 to 90 percent of alcohol addicted individuals would seek alcohol rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol addiction signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, most of the students reasoned that this number would not be less than 50 percent.

The Pupils Were Shocked to Learn That Only 25% of Individuals Who are Addicted to Alcohol in the U.S. Seek Alcohol Addiction Rehab

To the amazement of most of the pupils, Miss Benning stated that according to various scientific examinations, only 25% of the alcohol addicted individuals in the U.S. obtain alcohol treatment. This amazed most of the pupils because they figured that first hand experience of the shocking facts and statistics related to alcohol addiction would motivate most of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol to obtain alcohol dependency rehab.

Miss Benning then explained that people who are addicted to alcohol not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also require alcohol on a daily basis so they can avoid possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Apparently, the alcohol dependent individual’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than logic or facts. Definitely, since the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol addicted person, this is a demanding issue that is hard to overcome.

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

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October 13, 2009

When Alcohol Poisoning Serves as a Wakeup Call for an Adolescent

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Jeffrey was a ninth grader who frequently seemed to be living on the edge. Jeffrey had an adventurous personality and commonly wanted to do what his older brothers were doing to have fun. The basic problem with this was that all three of his brothers were at least 21 years old and were therefore able from a legal vantage point to operate a truck or car and to drink alcohol.

Jeffrey, on the other hand, had a difficult time accepting the fact that as a fifteen-year-old person he should not be drinking alcoholic beverages. In fact, on the other hand, Jeffrey normally drank with his buddies after school, largely on the weekends.

One weekend, Jeffrey was invited to drive around with some of his older buddies. One of his friends was old enough to buy alcohol. After purchasing some beer, wine coolers, and wine, Jeffrey and his pals went to a recreational area and drank for roughly three hours.

A Young Man Loses Consciousness

After drinking roughly ten alcoholic benerages, Jeffrey started to feel queasy and then threw up. When he became unconscious on the basketball court, one of his buddies called 911 for immediate medical assistance. It was fortunate that the call for emergency help was made because when his pals went to the hospital to see Jeffrey, they found out that Jeffrey had been suffering from alcohol poisoning symptoms. More precisely, Jeffrey had overdosed on alcohol.

When Your Pals Drink Excessively

Jeffrey had learned that drinking heavily can lead to an alcohol overdose but he never thought that this would affect him. After all, some of his cronies repeatedly boasted that they could drink twenty or more bottles of beer at one sitting without going through any significant problems.

Based on this, Jeffrey was in reality astonished to realize that he had overdosed on alcohol because he “only” had more or less ten alcoholic beverages. When he explained this to the attending healthcare practitioner at the hospital, in spite of this, the healthcare practitioner notified Jeffrey that drinking ten glasses of wine over a two or three hour period of time could in reality be substantially more alcohol than can be processed by the body. The doctor further stated how extreme amounts of alcohol can cause the brain to shut down an individual’s respiratory system and that when this comes about, an individual can expire.

The First Symptom of Abusive Drinking

This was the first cautionary message to Jeffrey that he was drinking in a dangerous way and that there are repercussions for such activities. The healthcare professional told Jeffrey that he was a lucky person because he almost died from an alcohol overdose the night before.

The healthcare professional also spoke to Jeffrey’s parents and suggested that they get alcohol counseling for Jeffrey. His parents were ecstatic that Jeffrey was all right and informed the healthcare practitioner that they would follow through on getting Jeffrey alcohol rehabilitation.

While talking to his parents, Jeffrey notified them that there must be a solid reason why he did not expire and that he felt a sense of thankfulness that he was still alive. He also notified his parents that the weirdest part about the entire drinking event was that he had learned about alcohol poisoning the last six week grading period at school.

When Learning Something in Class Can Make a Difference

At the time, what his health teacher, Mr. Franklin, was teaching didn’t seem to make too much sense to Jeffrey. Due to the fact that he almost passed away, conversely, he felt that he should have listened more conscientiously in health class and applied what he had learned to his life.

Jeffrey told his parents that he couldn’t wait to go back to school and express regret to Mr. Franklin for not demonstrating more attention to something that was as significant as learning about alcohol abuse and how to keep away from an alcohol overdose.

His parents smiled at Jeffrey and said that they were delighted with the way he was accepting responsibility for his destructive drinking behavior. All he had to do now was to let this near fatal experience influence his life in a beneficial way so that he would never again suffer from a case of alcohol poisoning.

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