When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I registered for a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not realize that alcohol abuse in truth was a sub category 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 through the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol treatment and the different alcohol rehab clinics that are typically available to people who engage in heavy drinking.

Some of the negative outcomes associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class definitely frightened me. The ruined lives and frequent problems experienced by most alcohol addicted individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. More to the point, I did not want to face the wreckage and destruction that alcohol addicted people almost always go through.

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 young person wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that consuming alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What young person wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related issues before he or she becomes an adult?

What youth wants to deal with alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause difficulties in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after an individual has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a teenager want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on hazardous drinking?

These issues were so important that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was downright astounding to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the dangerous results of irresponsible drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these effects can destroy their lives. For the first time in my life I started to figure out a saying that my grandfather used to tell me throughout my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.