Make Love Work

Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most underfinanced co-ed high school in the county. Even though she had been teaching for only three of four years, she had already achieved a reputation as an educator with teaching approaches that motivated and encouraged her students to learn and to think.

As an illustration, one Wednesday morning at 11:30 she addressed the pupils in her class and articulated the following: “For the next two or three days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a general viewpoint and we are also going to learn about a number of the most highly researched signs of alcoholism from a more specific viewpoint.”

“Not all of these alcoholism signs will undeniably substantiate that an individual with a drinking problem is an alcohol dependent individual, but the more signs that a person manifests, the greater the likelihood that he or she is an individual who is addicted to alcohol.”

Miss Benning then explained to the the students that each pupil would be accountable for investigating three alcohol addiction signs and then presenting his or her findings to the other members in the class via a eight minute oral presentation.

The Students are Thrilled About Giving A Thorough Presentation to Their Fellow Classmates About Alcohol Dependency Signs

After learning about the various signs of alcohol dependency for several days, the time had come for the oral presentations. It was immediately apparent that the pupils were wound up about the subject because the material that they presented was exceptional. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the enthusiasm manifested by the students in her classroom concerning this subject matter could not be overstated.

The day after all of the pupils 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 the students in her class to go over the list and rank the top six alcohol dependency signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After approximately ten minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and informed the students in her class that after she examines the results, she will reveal her findings the next school day.

There was a real buzz by the pupils while they were leaving Miss Benning’s class. One could swear that her pupils couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive so that they could find out the results of their in-class research.

The Students Match Their Numbers Against the Appraisals From A Panel of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Authorities

When the next school day finally arrived, Miss Benning handed out a piece of paper that listed the top four alcoholism signs as per the pupils’ rankings. Next to these results, she included another column that was labeled “experts’ answer.” She then explained to her students that the numbers in the new column she added signified the conclusions that were given by a panel of alcohol dependency authorities.

Miss Benning told the pupils in her class to go over the numbers and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, concerns, or questions. Within 40 or 50 seconds, virtually every pupil in the classroom raised her or his hand. It was noticeable that the pupils had some issues, concerns, or questions about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. For instance, just about every pupil disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the experts, specifically, “Do you feel exceptionally sick when you stop drinking?”

The Main Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcohol Dependency and Not With Alcohol Abuse

Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her classroom why this answer was the most precise sign of alcoholism. She emphasized the fact that the major difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcohol addiction and not with alcohol abuse.

For all intents and purposes this means that when an alcohol dependent person suddenly stops drinking, he or she will go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then told her students that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the lack of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more precisely, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the brain and from the body telling an individual who is addicted to alcohol that something is dreadfully wrong and needs to be rectified. These messages consist of several dangerous, uncomfortable, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can possibly result in a person’s death if the proper therapy is not promptly received.

Miss Benning then discussed the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly stops drinking.

The point that Miss Benning tried to underline 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 symptom or sign that few, if any, alcohol abusers ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To explain this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning pointed out that alcohol abusers, unlike individuals who are alcohol dependent, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Think They Have Discovered A Dissimilarity With the Findings From The Board of Chemical Dependency Experts

The students also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the alcoholism specialists, to be precise, “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 class that this sign does not automatically signify that the problem is alcohol dependency, but that it does underline the need that alcohol addicted individuals have to drink in order to avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the significance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol dependent individual, the students started to appreciate the essential difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

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

After approximately one or two minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ responses. While many students reasoned that about 70 to 80 percent of alcohol dependent people would obtain alcoholism rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol addiction signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, most of the students thought that this number would not be less than 60 percent.

The Pupils Were Astonished to Learn That Only 25% of People Who are Alcohol Dependent in the United States Get Alcohol Treatment

To the surprise of most of the pupils, Miss Benning confirmed that according to the research literature, only 25% of the alcohol addicted people in the U.S. seek alcoholism treatment. This amazed most of the students because they reasoned that exposure to the deplorable statistics and facts related to alcohol addiction would motivate most of the alcohol addicted
people to get alcohol dependency rehab.

Miss Benning then explained that alcohol addicted people not only need alcohol everyday in order to function but they also require alcohol everyday so they can avert possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Clearly, the alcohol addicted person’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than facts or logic. Without a doubt, due to the fact that the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the person who is addicted to alcohol, this is hard to undo.

The Occurrence of Mental Health Issues and Alcoholism Frequently Leads to Marital, Relationship, Divorce, and Friendship Problems

Lastly, Miss Benning told pupils that it is relevant to conceptualize that alcoholism and a range of mental health difficulties like depression are highly related. Additionally, the occurrence of alcoholism and mental health difficulties frequently result in marital, friendship, relationship, and divorce problems.

The Students are Excited to Learn About Alcohol Dependency Signs and Symptoms in Today’s Society

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

Tags: alcoholism, divorce, relationships, self improvement

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