Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most underfinanced co-educational high school in the county. Even though she had been teaching for only one year, she had already achieved a reputation as an instructor with a teaching methodology that inspired and encouraged her students to think and to learn.
For instance, one Thursday morning at 10:00 she addressed the students in her class and articulated the following: “For the next two weeks we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more broad-based point of view and we are also going to learn about some of the most basic signs of alcoholism from a less general and more detailed point of view.”
“Not all of these alcoholism signs will unquestionably confirm that a drinker with a drinking problem is a person who is addicted to alcohol, but the more signs that a drinker exhibits, the greater the likelihood that he or she is an alcohol dependent individual.”
Miss Benning then informed the members of the class that each student would be accountable for researching four alcohol dependence signs and then presenting his or her findings to the rest of the class via a twenty-five minute oral presentation.
The Pupils are Energized About Giving A Broad-Based Presentation to Their Fellow Students About Alcohol Addiction Signs
After learning about the different signs of alcohol addiction for quite a few days, the time had arrived for the individual presentations. It was at once evident that her students were thrilled about the topic because the information that they presented was extraordinary. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the eagerness displayed by the students in her class concerning this topic could not be overstated.
The day after all of the pupils completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were discussed and presented in the presentations and in class. Miss Benning then asked the students in her classroom to study the list and rank the top nine alcohol dependency signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After about twenty minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and informed the pupils in her classroom that after she examines the numbers, she will reveal her findings the next school day.
There was some real anticipation by the pupils while they were leaving 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 results of their in-class research.
The Pupils Compare Their Results With the Results From A Team of Substance Abuse Professionals
When the next school day came, Miss Benning handed out a piece of paper that listed the top five alcohol dependency signs according to the students’ rankings. Next to these results, she added another column that was labeled “correct response.” She then informed the pupils in her classroom that the numbers in the second column she added were the answers that were put together by a board of alcohol dependency professionals.
Miss Benning asked the students in her classroom to go over the data on the sheet of paper she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any questions, issues, or concerns. Within 40 or 50 seconds, almost every student in the class raised her or his hand. It was clear to see that the pupils had some issues, questions, or concerns about their results versus the answers given by the authorities. As an illustration, just about every individual in the class had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the experts, to be exact, “Do you feel exceptionally sick when you quit drinking?”
The Main Difference Between Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse is the Physical Dependency 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 correct indicator of alcoholism. She underlined the fact that the basic difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.
Primarily this means that when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly quits drinking, he or she will go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then told the students in her classroom that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated another way, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the body and from the brain telling a person who is addicted to alcohol that something is very out of kilter and needs to be rectified. These signals consist of several uncomfortable, painful, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can potentially result in a person’s death if the appropriate treatment is not immediately obtained.
Miss Benning then went over the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when a person who is alcohol dependent abruptly stops drinking.
The fact that Miss Benning tried to emphasize was this: an individual who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcohol dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
To articulate this as precisely as possible, Miss Benning stressed the point that alcohol abusers, unlike individuals who are alcohol dependent, are not alcohol dependent and as a consequence, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Pupils Feel They Have Discovered A Contradiction With the Findings From The Group of Chemical Dependency Authorities
The students also had an issue with the second ranked answer given by the chemical dependency experts, namely, “Have you ever had a drink the first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?”
Miss Benning informed the pupils in her class that this sign does not necessarily denote that the problem is alcohol addiction, but that it does emphasize the need that alcoholics have to drink in order to steer clear of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
After Miss Benning explained the relevance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol addicted person, the pupils started to recognize the essential difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
To add a sense of closure to the subject matter, Miss Benning asked her students to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every person who is alcohol dependent knew about every one of the alcohol addiction signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would ask for alcoholism rehabilitation?”
After roughly two or three minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ answers. While many students figured that approximately 80 to 90 percent of alcohol addicted individuals would get alcoholism rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcoholism signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, most of the pupils reasoned that this number would not be less than 65 percent.
The Pupils Were Surprised to Learn That Only 25% of Alcoholics in the U.S. Obtain Alcoholism Rehab
To the amazement of most of the students, Miss Benning acknowledged that according to different scientific studies, only 25% of the individuals who are alcohol dependent in the United States obtain alcohol rehab. This astonished most of the students because they figured that exposure to the gruesome statistics and facts related to alcohol addiction would motivate the majority of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol to get alcohol dependency rehab.
Miss Benning then stated that individuals who are addicted to alcohol not only need alcohol everyday in order to function but they also require alcohol on a daily basis so they can avert possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Obviously, the alcohol dependent person’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than logic or facts. Definitely, due to the fact that the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol addicted person, this is a challenging issue that is difficult to undo.
The Occurrence of Alcohol Dependency and Mental Health Difficulties Often Results in Commitment and Communication Issues in Relationships and Friendships
Lastly, Miss Benning told students that it is relevant to comprehend that alcohol dependency and various mental health predicaments like depression are highly correlated. Furthermore, the combination of alcohol dependency and mental health problems frequently result in commitment and communication issues in friendships and relationships, both inside and without the family.
The Pupils are Motivated to Learn About Alcohol Dependency Symptoms and Signs in Today’s Society
A few minutes later the bell rang, signifying the end of the class. Based on the excitement manifested by the pupils when they were leaving the room, Miss Benning recognized that she had stimulated and motivated her students to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our culture.
Tags: alcoholism, Family, relationships, self improvement