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.

Recent alcohol abuse statistics show that alcohol abuse among teenagers is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? Quite a few chemical dependency authorities declare that wine, beer, and liquor advertisements brought into being by the media are an essential reason for the escalation of teen alcohol abuse.

Other substance abuse consultants assert that the increase in teen alcohol abuse is due to the toleration and convenience of beer, liquor, and wine in our society.

Still other substance abuse specialists emphasize the point that numerous teens get involved in abusive drinking because of the increased fretfulness that they go through.

From a slightly different point of view, due to the fact that both parents in many families are gainfully employed, the lack of parental guidance indubitably has to play a key part in the expansion of teen alcohol abuse. And last of all, diverse alcohol dependency specialists affirm that the expansion of adolescent alcohol abuse is due, to some extent, to our laissez-faire society.

Coping Skills Training and Alcohol Abuse

One element of adolescent alcohol abuse that seems to be lacking in the alcohol abuse research findings, on the other hand, is the dearth of educational programs that teach students how to improve upon their coping skills so that their destructive drinking behavior is extensively reduced or done away with.

More specifically, science has shown that there is an indirect link between poor coping skills and excessive drinking. For all intents and purposes, this means that the poorer the coping skills, the greater the frequency of alcohol abuse. To the degree that this is an accurate declaration, why isn’t coping skills instruction a significant part of the academic curriculum in all of our high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools?

A Society That Stresses Teenage Coping Skills

Let us construct a scenario for for the purpose of illumination. Let us imagine a society in which all people are taught how to develop first rate coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including their final year in high school.

In such a society, when life gets challenging, students who are ”coping skills experts” will be able to respond in a healthier and more successful manner, as opposed to others who fail to execute their coping skills.

Stated differently, students who exhibit superior coping skills will be more able to think proactively and exhibit top quality decision making as opposed to students who, because they are deficient in top-of-the-line coping skills, are attracted to the “quick fix” of hazardous drinking, alcohol abuse, and teenage alcoholism.

What would happen in the above “ideal” society, furthermore, if students not only obtained exceptional coping skills training but also received an exceptional education that focused on the short term and long term devastating costs associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Such an emphasis on drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more advanced coping skills training, it is emphasized, would help adolescents stay away from the obvious appeal interlinked with underage drinking and, for that reason, would fundamentally lessen the destructive drinking behavior shown by adolescents in our country.

Youth Alcohol Abuse: Room for Success, Hope, and Optimism and the Need for Dynamic Leadership and Parenting and More Effective Communication In Our Relationships

There are certainly quite a few defensible reasons why so many of our adolescents drink in a harmful manner. Such a thorny subject matter, if success, hope, and optimism are to be attained, demands a far-reaching and more applicable educational and preventative response by our parents, educators, politicians, and students so that our teenagers can learn how to cope with life’s problems in a more rewarding and responsible manner rather than gravitating to abusive drinking behavior to solve their problems. In sum, compelling parenting and leadership and extra commitment in our parent-child and student-teacher relationships are needed for such a tricky issue such as teen alcohol abuse.

Recent alcohol abuse statistics show that alcohol abuse among teenagers is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? Quite a few chemical dependency authorities declare that wine, beer, and liquor advertisements brought into being by the media are an essential reason for the escalation of teen alcohol abuse.

Other substance abuse consultants assert that the increase in teen alcohol abuse is due to the toleration and convenience of beer, liquor, and wine in our society.

Still other substance abuse specialists emphasize the point that numerous teens get involved in abusive drinking because of the increased fretfulness that they go through.

From a slightly different point of view, due to the fact that both parents in many families are gainfully employed, the lack of parental guidance indubitably has to play a key part in the expansion of teen alcohol abuse. And last of all, diverse alcohol dependency specialists affirm that the expansion of adolescent alcohol abuse is due, to some extent, to our laissez-faire society.

Coping Skills Training and Alcohol Abuse

One element of adolescent alcohol abuse that seems to be lacking in the alcohol abuse research findings, on the other hand, is the dearth of educational programs that teach students how to improve upon their coping skills so that their destructive drinking behavior is extensively reduced or done away with.

More specifically, science has shown that there is an indirect link between poor coping skills and excessive drinking. For all intents and purposes, this means that the poorer the coping skills, the greater the frequency of alcohol abuse. To the degree that this is an accurate declaration, why isn’t coping skills instruction a significant part of the academic curriculum in all of our high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools?

A Society That Stresses Teenage Coping Skills

Let us construct a scenario for for the purpose of illumination. Let us imagine a society in which all people are taught how to develop first rate coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including their final year in high school.

In such a society, when life gets challenging, students who are ”coping skills experts” will be able to respond in a healthier and more successful manner, as opposed to others who fail to execute their coping skills.

Stated differently, students who exhibit superior coping skills will be more able to think proactively and exhibit top quality decision making as opposed to students who, because they are deficient in top-of-the-line coping skills, are attracted to the “quick fix” of hazardous drinking, alcohol abuse, and teenage alcoholism.

What would happen in the above “ideal” society, furthermore, if students not only obtained exceptional coping skills training but also received an exceptional education that focused on the short term and long term devastating costs associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Such an emphasis on drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more advanced coping skills training, it is emphasized, would help adolescents stay away from the obvious appeal interlinked with underage drinking and, for that reason, would fundamentally lessen the destructive drinking behavior shown by adolescents in our country.

Youth Alcohol Abuse: Room for Success, Hope, and Optimism and the Need for Dynamic Leadership and Parenting and More Effective Communication In Our Relationships

There are certainly quite a few defensible reasons why so many of our adolescents drink in a harmful manner. Such a thorny subject matter, if success, hope, and optimism are to be attained, demands a far-reaching and more applicable educational and preventative response by our parents, educators, politicians, and students so that our teenagers can learn how to cope with life’s problems in a more rewarding and responsible manner rather than gravitating to abusive drinking behavior to solve their problems. In sum, compelling parenting and leadership and more relevant communication in our relationships are needed for such a tricky issue such as teen alcohol abuse.

For several years alcoholism exploration has revealed the fact that there is strong relationship between alcoholism and critical health conditions and mental health issues such as depression.

As an illustration, in 2005, scientific research and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics showed that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion annually. It may be noted that this very large alcohol-related expenditure was significantly more than the cost linked with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is important to give emphasis to these facts, it is also important to emphasize the point that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health conditions.

More precisely, chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism are also highly associated with obesity and with cancer.

Definitely, substance abuse investigation has shown that alcohol addiction can boost the risk for different forms of cancer, particularly cancer of the colon, voice box (larynx), liver, rectum, throat, kidneys, and the esophagus. Hazardous and repetitive drinking can also lead to immune system issues and deformity to the fetus during pregnancy.

Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking Deteriorates the Individual’s Systems and Organs

Furthermore, if alcohol dependency continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will more likely than not be affected in a harmful manner. For instance, chronic, hazardous drinking is particularly hurtful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been ingested. Unwarranted amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to redevelop. This condition results in a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can in the long run lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a serious and potentially incurable disease. Heavy, long-term drinking not only can lead to dangerous liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this serious may be unalterable and may, in turn, result in severe disease or an untimely death.

The Significance of Alcohol Rehab

It is imperative, consequently, to know how to recognize the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcoholic can be given the opportunity to seek the quality alcohol therapy he or she requires.

Alcohol Dependency and Technologically Advanced Brain Exploration

Fortuitously, medical exploration is constantly uncovering novel and significant information. Recent alcoholism exploration offers an excellent example. More accurately, for approximately the last ten years, sophisticated brain-imaging scanning devices have verified that repetitive and chronic excessive drinking transforms the makeup of the brain to a substantial extent, consequently resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or conceivably as long as the person exists.

More specifically, medical investigation has revealed that people who have been drinking excessively for a substantial length of time increase their risk for developing long lasting and substantial modifications in the brain.

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

Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Hazardous Drinking

As a final illustration of different medical problems that are to a great extent correlated to alcoholism, take into account the fact that in accordance with medical examination, the excessive and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a medical condition that diminishes the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

This kind of organ breakdown is correlated with malnutrition and to a variety of acute mental and neurological syndromes including sleep disturbances, memory loss, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical problem is a long lasting incapacitating condition that is exemplified by continual memory and learning complications.

Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Also Leads to in Relationship and Friendship Problems

In addition to critical health problems, irresponsible and hazardous drinking also leads to friendship and relationship difficulties. For instance, people who have drinking problems routinely go through divorce, sexuality problems, affairs, and marital problems.

Conclusion: The Importance of Education

It is apparent that continued, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly associated with a variety of dangerous medical problems that can and do result in dangerous ailments and premature death. Such information needs to be underlined and presented to everyone in our society, especially to all students, so that most individuals will be able to refrain from excessive drinking while others who have a drinking problem will get the professional treatment they need.

Let us look at this pragmatically. Yes, alcohol counseling is important, but alcohol rehabilitation is something that is often done AFTER the fact. Education, from a different perspective, is something that is done BEFORE the problem emerges. Stated a different way, whereas alcohol rehabilitation is “reactive,” education is “proactive.” It is asserted that both approaches are necessary when discussing alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

I work with many young men who work in construction who display irresponsible and abusive drinking. After working very hard for eight hours, it seems “logical” to go to the local saloon to have a few brews with the guys. Often, however, it seems that the well-intentioned few shots and beers turns out to be a predicament in which a lot of beers are consumed, much money is spent, and several hours are spent at the local bar rather than spending time with their friends, family, or with their wife or girlfriend.

Continuous and Repeated Drinking Can Lead to Relationship, Friendship, and Marital Problems

Is it really all that flabbergasting in these circumstances that several my hard working buddies experience alcohol induced financial issues in spite of the fact that they make a decent amount of money? How comflex can it be for these hard working men to realize that hazardous and excessive drinking commonly results in marital, communication, friendship, commitment, and relationship issues and many times results in sexuality difficulties and affairs? Why are these alcohol abuse and alcoholic signs so hard for my hard working buddies to see?

Abusive and Hazardous Drinking Can Result in DWIs, Problems at Work, a Host of Health Problems, and a Variety of Mental Health Problems Such as Depression

Should it really be surprising to anyone that these construction workers could receive a DWI almost any night or day of the week? Is anyone truthfully flabbergasted when these construction workers start to make mistakes on the job due to their excessive drinking? Is anyone really all that astonished that more than a few of these hard working men need to augment their anger management, time management, and their stress management skills?

Does it in point of fact surprise anyone to know that these construction workers eventually complain about alcohol-related health problems such as hangovers, alcohol poisoning, a loss of energy, and sleep disturbances? Is it honestly shocking that many of my hard working friends are beginning to have various mental health problems such as depression? Why can’t these hard working guys “see” these alcohol effects on the body and on the mind?

To a great extent, these construction workers have gotten into a rut that is leading them to a life of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency. My wish is that these construction workers will ultimately realize that hazardous and heavy drinking is unhealthy and that they need to talk to their healthcare professional or someone at the local drug and alcohol rehab center about their drinking circumstances.

Concerning the drinking behavior displayed by my hard working buddies, the point to highlight is that honesty is necessary. Indeed, my hard working friends, not that much different than others who engage in irresponsible and hazardous drinking, need to look at themselves in the mirror and make an honest assessment of what excessive and irresponsible drinking is doing to their health, to their relationships, to their finances, to their mental health, and to their jobs. In short, these hard working guys need to realize the alcohol short term effects of their excessive and hazardous drinking.

There’s Room For Optimism If Those Who Engage in Careless and Hazardous Drinking Can Become Encouraged to Get the Alcohol Rehab and Alcohol Detoxification They Require

My hard working pals need to get motivated and enthused about wanting to make a productive change in their lives. Stated differently, these construction workers need to motivate themselves to go to their healthcare practitioner or to the local alcohol rehabilitation facility and find out if they are primarily abusing alcohol or if they are alcohol addicted. Based on the information that is uncovered, these construction workers then need to get the alcohol treatment and the alcohol detox treatment they require.

The good news is that there’s an almost limitless number of rehab programs, hospitals, treatment centers, drug and alcohol treatment clinics, and rehabilitation facilities where these hard working guys can get top-of-the-line treatment for their hazardous and heavy drinking. And with a little effort, it is feasible to find rehabilitation facilities, rehab programs, drug and alcohol treatment clinics, treatment centers, and hospitals that are relatively cost effective.

Professional Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholism Help Can Begin With a Phone Call

There were unquestionably times in the past when top-of-the-line help for alcoholism or alcohol abuse was more expensive and far less available that it is now. Due to the widespread increase of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse in the past decade, it can be noted, an alcohol addicted person or an alcohol abuser commonly has few, if any, legitimate excuses for failing to address her or his hazardous and heavy drinking.

Indeed, to start the change process all it routinely takes is a phone call to one’s doctor or to somebody at the local drug and alcohol treatment facility. Thereafter, long term alcohol recovery necessitates commitment, follow through, and a genuine desire to change one’s injurious lifestyle and enhance one’s positive attitude, self worth, self respect, and one’s goal setting skills.