Miss Benning was a health teacher at the most financially challenged co-ed high school in the state. Although she had been teaching for only three of four years, she had already achieved a reputation as an educator with teaching methods that stimulated and encouraged her students to think and to learn.

For instance, one Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 she addressed the pupils in her classroom and articulated 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 familiar signs of alcoholism from a less general and more detailed standpoint.”

“Not all of these alcoholism signs will unquestionably validate that an individual with a drinking problem is a person who is addicted to alcohol, but the more signs that a person displays, the higher the probability that he or she is an individual who is alcohol dependent.”

Miss Benning then informed the class that each student would be accountable for studying four alcohol addiction signs and then presenting his or her findings to the other members in the class via a six minute oral presentation.

The Pupils are Thrilled About Giving A Thorough Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About The Signs of Alcohol Dependency

After learning about the different signs of alcohol dependency for several days, the time had finally come for the student presentations. It was at once apparent that her pupils were wound up about the topic because the information that they presented was extraordinary. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the fervor manifested by the pupils in her classroom concerning this topic was an understatement.

The day after all of the students 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 her students to go over the list and rank the top six alcohol dependency signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After about ten minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and told the pupils in her class that after she examines the numbers, she will reveal 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 pupils couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive so that they could learn about the outcome of their in-class research.

The Pupils Contrast Their Answers With the Results From A Group of Drug and Alcohol Addiction Professionals

When the next school day finally came, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper that listed the top four alcoholism signs as per the pupils’ rankings. Next to these results, she added another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then informed her students that the numbers in the new column she added stood for the conclusions that were given by a panel of substance abuse authorities.

Miss Benning told the pupils in her class to look over the data on the piece of paper she handed out and then to raise their hand if they had any concerns, questions, or issues. Within 20 or 30 seconds, almost everyone in the classroom raised his or her hand. It was clear to see that the students had some issues, questions, or concerns about their results versus the answers given by the experts. For example, almost every student disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the specialists, that is, “Do you feel very nauseous when you stop drinking?”

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

Miss Benning then explained to the students in her classroom why this answer was the most accurate indicator of alcoholism. She pointed out the fact that the primary 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 alcohol dependent abruptly quits drinking, he or she will suffer through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then informed the pupils in her classroom that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the brain and by the body to the deficit of alcohol to which they had become accustomed. Stated another way, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling a person who is addicted to alcohol that something is exceedingly out of kilter and needs to be rectified. These messages consist of several dangerous, uncomfortable, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can possibly result in someone’s death if the appropriate therapy is not promptly undertaken.

Miss Benning then listed the many diverse alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when a person who is addicted to alcohol abruptly quits drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to underline was this: an individual 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 articulate this as overtly as possible, Miss Benning stressed the fact that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol dependent individuals, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they quit drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Believe They Have Found A Dissimilarity With the Findings From The Council of Alcohol Addiction Professionals

The students also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the drug and alcohol abuse experts, to be precise, “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 alcoholism, but that it does underscore the need that alcohol dependent people have to drink in order to avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the significance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol dependent individual, the students started to recognize the essential difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

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

After approximately one or two minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ answers. While many students figured that roughly 85 to 95 percent of individuals who are alcohol dependent would get alcohol dependency rehab if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol dependency signs, most of the pupils figured that this number would not be less than 55 percent.

The Pupils Were Surprised to Learn That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent Individuals in the U.S. Get Alcohol Addiction Treatment

To the astonishment of most of the students, Miss Benning confirmed that according to different scientific studies, only 25% of the alcohol addicted individuals in the United States obtain alcohol addiction treatment. This surprised most of the students because they thought that exposure to the overwhelming statistics and facts correlated with alcohol dependency would motivate most of the people who are addicted to alcohol to ask for alcohol addiction rehab.

Miss Benning then explained that individuals who are addicted to alcohol not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also need alcohol everyday so they can avoid possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Evidently, the alcoholic’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than facts or logic. Indeed, since the need for alcohol is “reality” to the individual who is alcohol dependent, this is a demanding issue that is hard to negate.

The Combination of Alcoholism and Mental Health Problems Commonly Leads to Relationship, Friendship, Marital, and Divorce Problems

Finally, Miss Benning told pupils that it is relevant to realize that alcohol dependency and diverse mental health predicaments like depression are highly related. What is more, the occurrence of mental health difficulties and alcoholism often result in relationship, marital, divorce, and friendship problems.

The Pupils are Inspired to Learn About Alcohol Addiction Symptoms and Signs in Today’s Society and the Need For Alcohol Detox for Alcohol Dependent Individuals

A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating that the end of class had arrived. Based on the buzz exhibited by the pupils when they were leaving the room, Miss Benning recognized that she had inspired and encouraged her pupils to stop and think about an important health and social problem that exists in our culture.