Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most underfinanced private high school in the local community. Although she had been teaching for only one year, she had already obtained a reputation as an educator with educational approaches that motivated and encouraged the students in her class to learn and to think.
For example, one Thursday afternoon at 2:00 she addressed her pupils and announced the following: “For the next four or five days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wind-ranging perspective and we are also going to learn about some of the most familiar signs of alcoholism from a more specific standpoint.
Not all of these alcoholism signs will categorically establish that someone with a drinking problem is an alcohol dependent person, but the more signs that an individual manifests, the greater the possibility that he or she is a person who is addicted to alcohol.”
Miss Benning then explained to the the pupils that each individual would be responsible for researching four alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her findings to the class via a eight minute oral presentation.
The Students are Enthused About Giving An Extensive Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About Alcohol Dependency Signs
After learning about the different alcohol addiction signs for quite a few days, the time had come for the student presentations. It was instantly evident that the pupils were thrilled about the subject because the material that they presented was outstanding. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the interest manifested by the pupils in her classroom regarding this subject could not be overstated.
The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper with a list of all the alcoholism signs that were discussed and presented in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked her pupils to study the list and rank the top seven alcoholism signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After around fifteen minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and explained to the pupils in her classroom that after she analyzes the results, she will reveal her findings the next school day.
There was some real excitement by the pupils while they were exiting Miss Benning’s class. One could swear that her pupils couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive so that they could learn about the results of their in-class research.
The Pupils Match Their Results Against the Results From A Council of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Professionals
When the next school day came, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper that listed the top five alcohol dependency signs according to the students’ rankings. To the right of these results, she added another column that was labeled “experts’ answer.” She then explained to the students in her classroom that the numbers in the second column she added were the conclusions that were put together by a council of chemical dependency experts.
Miss Benning asked her students to go over the information on the piece of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any questions, concerns, or issues. Within 10 or 20 seconds, virtually everyone in the class raised her or his hand. It was noticeable that the students had some issues, questions, or concerns about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. For example, almost every person in the classroom had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the specialists, to be precise, “Do you feel very nauseous when you stop drinking?”
The Principal Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcohol Dependency and Not With Alcohol Abuse
Miss Benning then told the students in her classroom why this answer was the most straightforward indicator of alcoholism. She highlighted the fact that the essential difference between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol addiction and not with alcohol abuse.
Fundamentally this means that when a person who is addicted to alcohol suddenly quits drinking, he or she will suffer through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then informed the students in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the lack of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated differently, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the body and from the brain telling an individual who is addicted to alcohol that something is very incorrect and needs to be fixed. These signals consist of several uncomfortable, dangerous, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to someone’s death if the appropriate treatment is not promptly obtained.
Miss Benning then discussed the many different alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when a person who is alcohol dependent suddenly quits drinking.
The point that Miss Benning tried to stress 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 sign or symptom that few, if any, alcohol abusers ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
To articulate this as precisely as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the fact that alcohol abusers, unlike alcoholics, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they quit drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Students Feel They Have Discovered A Variance With the Findings From The Team of Alcoholism Authorities
The pupils also had a problem with the second ranked answer given by the drug and alcohol addiction authorities, 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 told the pupils in her classroom that this sign does not necessarily signify that the problem is alcohol dependency, but that it does underscore the need that alcohol dependent individuals have to drink in order to avoid alcohol withdrawals.
After Miss Benning explained the relevance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol addicted individual, the students started to grasp the main difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.
To add a sense of closure to the subject matter, Miss Benning asked her pupils 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 alcoholism signs and alcohol withdrawal symptoms we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would get alcohol addiction rehab?”
After roughly one or two minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ responses. While many students figured that around 85 to 95 percent of people who are addicted to alcohol would ask for alcohol dependency rehabilitation if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs, most of the students reasoned that this number would not be less than 70 percent.
The Pupils Were Surprised to Find Out That Only 25% of Individuals Who are Alcohol Dependent in the U.S. Obtain Alcoholism Rehab
To the amazement of most of the students, Miss Benning stated that according to various scientific examinations, only 25% of the people who are alcohol dependent in the United States obtain alcohol addiction rehabilitation. This astonished most of the pupils because they believed that first hand experience of the alarming facts and statistics correlated with alcohol addiction would motivate the majority of the alcohol addicted people to ask for alcohol dependency rehabilitation.
Miss Benning then stated that alcohol addicted individuals not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also require alcohol everyday so they can steer clear of possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Obviously, the alcoholic’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than logic or facts. Without a doubt, because the thirst for alcohol is “reality” to the person who is alcohol dependent, this is difficult to reverse.
A few minutes later the bell rang, signifying the end of the class. Based on the buzz displayed by the students when they were leaving the room, Miss Benning realized that she had inspired and encouraged the students in her classroom to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our country.