Miss Benning was a health teacher at the best known co-ed high school in the district. Even though she had been teaching for only one year, she had already established a reputation as a teacher with educational approaches that inspired and stimulated pupils to learn and to think.
For instance, one Friday morning at 11:30 she addressed the students in her class and stated the following: “For the next few days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wide-ranging point of view and we are also going to learn about several of the most typical signs of alcoholism from a more specific point of view.”
“Not all of these alcoholism signs will undeniably reveal that a drinker with a drinking problem is a person who is addicted to alcohol, but the more signs that a drinker manifests, the stronger the probability that he or she is an individual who is addicted to alcohol.”
Miss Benning then told the students in the class that each pupil would be held responsible for examining four alcohol dependence signs and then presenting his or her conclusions to the other class members via a eight minute oral presentation.
The Students are Excited About Giving A Broad-Based Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About Alcohol Dependency Signs
After learning about the different alcohol dependency signs for quite a few days, the time had come for the individual presentations. It was at once noticeable that the pupils were enthused about the topic because the information that they presented was exceptional. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the fervor exhibited by the pupils 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 sheet of paper with a list of all the alcoholism 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 eight alcoholism signs that were most indicative of alcohol dependency. After about five minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and informed the pupils in her class that after she evaluates the results, she will discuss her findings the next school day.
There was some real anticipation by the students while they were exiting Miss Benning’s class. One could swear that her pupils 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 Numbers With the Results From A Council of Chemical Dependency Authorities
When the next school day finally arrived, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper that listed the top three alcohol dependency signs as per the students’ rankings. To the left of these results, she included another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then explained to her students that the numbers in the additional column she added signified the responses that were given by a group of drug and alcohol abuse specialists.
Miss Benning asked her pupils to go over the data on the piece of paper she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any issues, questions, or concerns. Within 10 or 20 seconds, virtually every student in the classroom raised her or his hand. It was apparent that the students had some concerns, questions, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. For instance, almost every student disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the experts, that is to say, “Do you feel very nauseous when you abstain from drinking?”
The Primary Difference Between Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcohol Dependency and Not With Alcohol Abuse
Miss Benning then explained to the students in her class why this answer was the most correct indicator of alcoholism. She underlined the fact that the primary difference between alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.
In effect this means that when an individual who is alcohol dependent all of a sudden quits drinking, he or she will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Miss Benning then told the students in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deprivation of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more explicitly, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the body and from the brain telling an alcohol addicted person that something is extremely wrong and needs to be fixed. These signals consist of a number of uncomfortable, dangerous, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a loss of life if the proper therapy is not immediately received.
Miss Benning then went over the host of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly quits drinking.
The fact that Miss Benning tried to emphasize 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 sign or symptom that few, if any, alcohol abusers ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
To state this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning underscored the point that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol dependent people, are not alcohol dependent and consequently, when they quit drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
The Pupils Feel They Have Discovered An Inconsistency With the Findings From The Council of Alcohol Addiction Professionals
The pupils also had an issue with the second ranked answer given by the drug and alcohol addiction specialists, that is, “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 explained to her pupils that this sign does not necessarily indicate that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does emphasize the need that alcohol addicted people have to drink in order to prevent alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
After Miss Benning explained the importance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the individual who is alcohol dependent, the students started to grasp the main difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
To add a sense of closure to the topic, Miss Benning asked the students in her classroom 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 withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would ask for alcohol rehabilitation?”
After about four or five minutes, Miss Benning asked for the students’ predictions. While many students figured that around 85 to 95 percent of alcoholics would seek alcoholism rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol dependency signs, most of the students believed that this number would not be less than 65 percent.
The Students Were Astonished to Discover That Only 25% of Individuals Who are Addicted to Alcohol in the U.S. Ask For Alcoholism Treatment
To the astonishment of most of the students, Miss Benning stated that according to various scientific examinations, only 25% of the alcohol addicted people in the U.S. ask for alcohol dependency rehab. This amazed most of the pupils because they figured that first-hand knowledge of the dreadful facts and statistics related to alcohol dependency would motivate most of the alcoholics to ask for alcohol addiction treatment.
Miss Benning then explained that people who are alcohol dependent not only need alcohol on an everyday basis in order to function but they also require alcohol on a daily basis so they can stay away from possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Apparently, the alcoholic’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than logic or facts. To be sure, due to the fact that the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the person who is alcohol dependent, this is a demanding issue that is difficult to negate.
The Students are Encouraged to Learn About Alcohol Addiction Symptoms and Signs in Today’s Society
A few minutes later the bell rang, signifying the end of the class. Based on the buzz exhibited by the students when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning realized that she had motivated and encouraged the students in her classroom to stop and think about a vital health and social problem that exists in our culture.
Tags: alcohol abuse, alcohol treatment, relationships, self improvement