A Health Teacher in the Most Underfinanced Co-ed High School in the State Instructs Her Students About the Relevance of Alcohol Addiction Signs

Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most popular co-educational high school in the state. Even though she had been teaching for only four years, she had already obtained a reputation as an educator with teaching approaches that encouraged and inspired the pupils in her class to think and to learn.

As an illustration, one Thursday morning she addressed the pupils in her classroom and stated the following: “For the next few days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a general standpoint and we are also going to learn about a number of the most basic signs of alcoholism from a more detailed viewpoint.

Not all of these alcoholism signs will definitely demonstrate that someone with a drinking problem is a person who is addicted to alcohol, but the more signs that a person manifests, the stronger the possibility 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 addiction signs and then presenting his or her results to the other class members via a eight minute oral presentation.

The Pupils are Wound Up About Giving A Comprehensive Presentation to Their Fellow Students About Alcohol Addiction Signs

After learning about the various signs of alcohol dependency for several days, the time had arrived for the student presentations. It was instantly obvious that her pupils were excited about the topic because the material that they presented was excellent. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the passion displayed by her students 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 alcoholism signs that were presented and discussed in the presentations and in class. Miss Benning then asked her pupils to go over the list and rank the top seven alcohol dependency signs that were most indicative of alcohol dependency. After around five minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and told the pupils in her class that after she goes over the numbers, she will discuss her findings the next school day.

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

The Pupils Contrast Their Numbers With the Findings From A Panel of Alcohol Addiction Experts

When the next school day came, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper that listed the top four alcoholism signs according to the students’ rankings. To the left of these results, she added another column that was labeled “correct answer.” She then informed the students in her class that the numbers in the second column she added represented the answers that were stated publicly by a panel of alcoholism authorities.

Miss Benning asked the pupils in her class to look over the information on the piece of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any concerns, issues, or questions. Within 30 or 40 seconds, just about every student in the class raised her or his hand. It was noticeable that the pupils had some questions, issues, or concerns about their results versus the answers given by the specialists. For instance, virtually every individual in the class disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the specialists, specifically, “Do you feel exceedingly ill when you quit drinking?”

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

Miss Benning then informed the pupils in her classroom why this answer was the most unambiguous sign of alcoholism. She pointed out that the central difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcoholism and not with alcohol abuse.

In effect this means that when an individual who is addicted to alcohol abruptly quits drinking, he or she will go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the brain and by the body to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated another way, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling an individual who is alcohol dependent that something is extremely misaligned and needs to be fixed. These messages consist of several dangerous, uncomfortable, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a fatality if the proper therapy is not promptly obtained.

Miss Benning then went over the multitude of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when an alcohol dependent individual abruptly quits drinking.

The point that Miss Benning tried to underscore was this: a person who engages in alcohol abuse 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, people who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To state this as clearly as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the fact that alcohol abusers, unlike individuals who are addicted to alcohol, are not alcohol dependent and consequently, when they stop drinking, they almost never experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Feel They Have Found An Inconsistency With the Findings From The Panel of Alcohol Dependency Experts

The students also disagreed with the second ranked answer given by the alcohol addiction professionals, specifically, “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 denote that the problem is alcohol addiction, but that it does point to the need that alcohol addicted individuals have to drink in order to prevent alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the significance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcoholic, the students started to comprehend the essential difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.

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

After approximately two or three minutes, Miss Benning asked for the students’ predictions. While many pupils thought that roughly 85 to 95 percent of alcohol dependent individuals would ask for alcohol addiction rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol dependency signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, most of the students believed that this number would not be less than 65 percent.

The Pupils Were Surprised to Discover That Only 25% of Individuals Who are Alcohol Dependent in the U.S. Ask For Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation

To the amazement of most of the students, Miss Benning confirmed that according to different scientific examinations, only 25% of the alcohol addicted people in the U.S. seek alcohol dependency rehabilitation. This shocked most of the students because they reasoned that first-hand knowledge of the appalling statistics and facts related to alcohol dependency would motivate most of the alcohol addicted individuals to ask for alcohol addiction rehabilitation.

Miss Benning then explained that alcohol dependent individuals not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also need alcohol on a daily basis so they can avert possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Apparently, the alcohol dependent person’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than logic or facts. Indeed, since the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol dependent individual, this is a thorny issue that is difficult to reverse.

A few minutes later the bell rang, meaning that the end of class had arrived. Based on the buzz manifested by the students when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning recognized that she had stimulated and encouraged the students in her classroom to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our culture.