Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most underfinanced co-ed high school in the state. Even though she had been teaching for only two or three years, she had already established a reputation as a teacher with educational approaches that motivated and inspired her pupils to learn and to think.

For example, one Friday morning she addressed the pupils in her class and announced the following: “For the next two weeks we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more broad-based standpoint and we are also going to learn about a number of the most common signs of alcoholism from a more detailed viewpoint.”

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

Miss Benning then explained to the the students that each pupil would be responsible for investigating two alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her results to the other class members via a thirty minute oral presentation.

The Pupils are Wound Up About Giving A Broad-Based Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About Alcoholism Signs

After learning about the different alcohol addiction signs for a number of days, the time had finally come for the student presentations. It was at once clear to see that the pupils were energized about the subject because the information that they presented was first-rate. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the passion displayed by the students in her classroom regarding this subject was an understatement.

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 class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked the students in her classroom to go over the list and rank the top six alcohol dependency signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After around fifteen minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and informed her students that after she analyzes the numbers, she will reveal her findings the next school day.

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

The Students Compare Their Results With the Assessments From A Board of Substance Abuse Professionals

When the next school day arrived, Miss Benning handed out a piece of paper that listed the top four alcoholism signs as per the pupils’ rankings. To the left of these results, she included another column that was labeled “correct response.” She then explained to her students that the numbers in the additional column she added were the responses that were stated publicly by a board of drug and alcohol addiction specialists.

Miss Benning told 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 issues, questions, or concerns. Within a minute or two, virtually every student in the class raised her or his hand. It was evident that the pupils had some concerns, issues, or questions about their results versus the answers given by the specialists. For example, virtually every individual in the class disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the authorities, that is, “Do you feel exceptionally nauseous when you abstain from drinking?”

The Main Difference Between Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse is the Physical Addiction That is Experienced With Alcoholism and Not With Alcohol Abuse

Miss Benning then told her pupils why this answer was the most accurate sign of alcoholism. She pointed out that the major difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.

In essence this means that when an alcohol addicted individual all of a sudden stops drinking, he or she will suffer through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then explained to her students that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deficiency of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more precisely, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the brain and from the body telling a person who is alcohol dependent that something is very incorrect and needs to be rectified. These messages consist of several dangerous, painful, and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that can possibly lead to a fatality if the appropriate treatment is not immediately received.

Miss Benning then went over the many diverse alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be experienced when a person who is alcohol dependent suddenly quits drinking.

The point that Miss Benning tried to underscore 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 symptom or sign that few, if any, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To articulate this as exactly as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the point that alcohol abusers, unlike individuals who are addicted to alcohol, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they stop drinking, they almost never suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Students Feel They Have Uncovered An Irregularity With the Findings From The Team of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Authorities

The students also had a problem with the second ranked answer given by the chemical dependency professionals, that is to say, “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 the students in her class that this sign does not automatically mean that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does underscore the need that alcohol addicted people have to drink in order to stay away from alcohol withdrawals.

After Miss Benning explained the significance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol dependent individual, the students started to grasp the basic 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 piece of paper and answer the following question: “if every person who is an alcoholic knew about every one of the alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism signs we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would obtain alcoholism rehab?”

After approximately three or four minutes, Miss Benning asked for the students’ answers. While many students believed that approximately 75 to 85 percent of people who are alcohol dependent would obtain alcohol dependency rehabilitation if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol dependency signs, most of the pupils thought that this number would not be less than 65 percent.

The Students Were Amazed to Learn That Only 25% of People Who are Alcohol Dependent in the United States Seek Alcohol Rehab

To the shock of most of the pupils, Miss Benning declared that according to various scientific examinations, only 25% of the people who are alcohol dependent in the United States get alcoholism treatment. This astonished most of the pupils because they believed that exposure to the overwhelming facts and statistics associated with alcohol dependency would motivate most of the alcohol dependent people to ask for alcohol addiction treatment.

Miss Benning then explained that alcoholics not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also need alcohol everyday so they can keep away from possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Obviously, the alcohol dependent person’s need to drink on a daily basis is stronger than facts or logic. Certainly, due to the fact that the craving for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol dependent individual, this is hard to undo.

A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating that the end of class had arrived. Based on the buzz manifested by the students when they were leaving the classroom, Miss Benning knew that she had inspired and motivated her pupils to stop and think about a critical health and social problem that exists in our country.

Miss Benning was a health instructor at the most popular co-ed high school in the county. Although she had been teaching for only three years, she had already secured a reputation as a person with educational techniques that stimulated and motivated the students in her class to learn and to think.

For instance, one Wednesday morning at 8:00 she addressed the pupils in her class and announced the following: “For the next week we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a general standpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most familiar signs of alcoholism from a less general and more specific standpoint.”

“Not all of these alcoholism signs will positively prove that an individual with a drinking problem is an individual who is alcohol dependent, but the more signs that a drinker manifests, the stronger the probability that he or she is an alcohol dependent individual.”

Miss Benning then informed the members in the class that each individual would be held responsible for studying four alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her findings to the other members in the class via a six minute oral presentation.

The Students are Enthused About Giving A Thorough Presentation to Their Fellow Students About The Signs of Alcohol Addiction

After learning about the diverse signs of alcohol dependency for several days, the time had finally arrived for the oral presentations. It was instantaneously apparent that the pupils in her class were keyed up about the subject matter because the material that they presented was outstanding. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the excitement exhibited by her pupils concerning this subject matter 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 addiction signs that were presented and discussed in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked her students to go over the list and rank the top nine alcohol dependency signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After roughly fifteen minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and informed the students in her classroom that after she reviews the numbers, she will discuss her findings the next school day.

There was some real excitement by the pupils while they were leaving 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 Students Contrast Their Numbers With the Evaluations From A Board of Substance Abuse Specialists

When the next school day finally arrived, Miss Benning passed out a sheet of paper that listed the top five alcohol dependency signs as per the students’ rankings. To the right of these results, she added another column that was labeled “correct answer.” She then explained to the students in her class that the numbers in the extra column she added stood for the answers that were stated by a team of alcoholism authorities.

Miss Benning asked the students in her classroom 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 40 or 50 seconds, just about everyone in the class raised her or his hand. It was noticeable that the students had some questions, issues, or concerns about their results versus the answers given by the experts. For example, almost every individual in the classroom had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the specialists, that is to say, “Do you feel really sick when you abstain from drinking?”

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

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

In essence this means that when a person who is alcohol dependent all of a sudden quits drinking, he or she will go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then explained to the students in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the brain and by the body to the deficiency of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more explicitly, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the brain and from the body telling an alcohol dependent person that something is extremely wrong and needs to be fixed. These messages consist of a number of painful, uncomfortable, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can possibly lead to a person’s death if the proper therapy is not promptly received.

Miss Benning then listed the many different alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when an individual who is addicted to alcohol suddenly quits drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to stress was this: an individual who engages in alcohol abuse can experience almost any and every one of the alcoholism signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, people who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To articulate this as clearly as possible, Miss Benning stressed the point that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol addicted people, are not alcohol dependent and accordingly, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Think They Have Uncovered An Inconsistency With the Findings From The Group of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Professionals

The students also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the drug and 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 told the pupils in her class that this sign does not inevitably suggest that the problem is alcohol addiction, but that it does stress the need that alcohol addicted people have to drink in order to avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the relevance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcoholic, the students started to understand the fundamental difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

To add a sense of closure to the topic, Miss Benning asked the pupils in her classroom 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 alcohol addiction 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’ predictions. While many students figured that around 85 to 95 percent of alcohol addicted people would seek alcohol treatment if they knew about the facts related to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol dependency signs, most of the students reasoned that this number would not be less than 65 percent.

The Pupils Were Surprised to Find Out That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent People in the U.S. Get Alcohol Dependency Treatment

To the astonishment of most of the pupils, Miss Benning stated that according to various scientific examinations, only 25% of the alcohol dependent individuals in the U.S. get alcohol addiction treatment. This shocked most of the students because they believed that first-hand knowledge of the abysmal facts and statistics related to alcoholism would motivate the majority of the alcohol addicted people to ask for alcohol addiction rehabilitation.

Miss Benning then stated that people who are alcohol dependent not only need alcohol on a daily basis in order to function but they also need alcohol everyday so they can steer clear of possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Evidently, the alcoholic’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than logic or facts. In actual fact, due to the fact that the need for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol addicted person, this is a thorny issue that is hard to undo.

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

Sarah and Jerry have been married for seven years. They wanted to experience some excitement and fun before they made up their minds to have children and so they by design constructed an especially vibrant social life.

The essential problem, it needs to be pointed out, is that practically everything they do socially somehow includes drinking. For example, all of the parties with friends, happy hours, sporting events, family get-togethers, and dinner engagements they patronize somehow include drinking.

Sarah and Jerry Start to Notice Some Unmistakable Alcohol Related Difficulties That are Without a Doubt Related to Their Irresponsible Drinking

If they were infrequent drinkers, this wouldn’t be such a major issue. Due to the fact they drink in an abusive manner, nonetheless, they are beginning to see some clear-cut alcohol-related problems in their lives.

For example, just two days ago Jerry was arrested for his first DUI and has been overlooking responsibilities at work due to alcohol-related health issues. What is more, Jerry’s last three performance assessments at the office have been less than average and he has started to fail to remember what he says or does when he drinks. Finally, Jerry has been going through sleep-related problems and his family has begun to get apprehensive about his drinking problems.

Similar to Jerry’s circumstances, Sarah has been feeling unhappy about life and to handle these feelings, she has been drinking more than any time in the past three years. What is more, Sarah has been experiencing quite a few painful migraines and having painful hangovers from drinking. Lastly, Sarah has been feeling substantially less energetic when she gets up in the morning, she has been getting to work late at least every other day, and she has been getting some well-deserved criticism from her relatives, coworkers, friends, and family members about her irresponsible drinking.

Watching the TV and Inadvertently Discovering A Captivating Documentary About the Signs of Alcohol Addiction

One Sunday evening while watching TV, Sarah and Jerry inadvertently discovered an attention-grabbing documentary about the signs of alcoholism.

This TV special was a real eye opener to Sarah and Jerry because several of the alcoholism signs that were talked about appeared as if they were indisputably correlated with more than a few of the alcohol-related drinking problems Jerry and Sarah had been suffering through.

A Frank Talk About Drinking Circumstances Uncovers Alcohol Related Legal, Financial, Relationship, Health, and Employment Problems

After watching the TV documentary, Jerry and Sarah determined that they needed to have a candid talk about their drinking behavior. They both were in agreement that most, if not all, of their social activities were related to drinking, that they were drinking excessively, and that as a couple, they were starting to notice alcohol related health, employment, legal, financial, and relationship problems for the first time since they were married.

With thoughts of the TV program still imprinted in her mind, Sarah asked Jerry if some of the alcoholism signs they have been manifesting could be a signal that they are addicted to alcohol or perhaps becoming alcoholic. Jerry didn’t know the answer to Sarah’s inquiry and so he suggested that they make an appointment with one of the healthcare practitioners at the local alcohol abuse rehabilitation facility to find out more about the gravity of their drinking issues.

Handling Your Drinking Difficulties Just Might Lessen Your Trepidation and Give You Some Quietude

Ironically, even though their drinking circumstances hadn’t yet changed, it was evident that Sarah and Jerry were at the very least concentrating on their drinking issues, they were eager to find out more about their drinking situation, and they were interested in learning how they could substantially decrease or do away with the alcohol-related difficulties that had started to go from bad to worse.

When Jerry and Sarah went to bed that night, they arrived at a decision that the next morning, Jerry would call and schedule an appointment for both of them at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center located just West of the State Capital. After they made a promise to one another that they would do whatever it takes to cope with the alcohol-related problems that had developed in their lives, they actually had the most revitalizing night’s sleep they could think of in the last two years.

Just before he fell asleep, Jerry turned to Sarah and observed how effortless it is to decrease one’s nervousness and truly experience some tranquility by coming to terms with one’s problems straight on and making up one’s mind to do something constructive about them.

Miss Benning was a health instructor at the best known parochial high school in the county. Even though she had been teaching for only one year, she had already secured a reputation as an instructor with instructional methods that inspired and stimulated the students in her class to think and to learn.

For example, one Thursday morning at 9:00 she addressed her pupils and stated 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 common signs of alcoholism from a more specific point of view.”

“Not all of these alcoholism signs will beyond doubt confirm that someone with a drinking problem is an alcoholic, but the more signs that an individual manifests, the greater the likelihood that he or she is an individual who is alcohol dependent.”

Miss Benning then explained to the members in the class that each pupil would be accountable for researching four alcohol dependence signs and then presenting his or her findings to the class via a fifteen minute oral presentation.

The Students are Keyed Up About Giving An Extensive Presentation to Their Fellow Classmates About Alcoholism Signs

After learning about the diverse signs of alcohol dependency for a number of days, the time had finally arrived for the student presentations. It was immediately evident that the pupils in her class were wound up about the topic because the information that they presented was superb. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the interest displayed by the pupils in her class regarding this subject was an understatement.

The day after all of the students completed their presentations, Miss Benning passed out a piece of paper with a list of all the alcohol dependency signs that were presented and discussed in class and in the presentations. Miss Benning then asked the pupils in her class to study the list and rank the top five alcoholism signs that were most indicative of alcoholism. After about ten minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and told the pupils in her class that after she studies the results, she will discuss her findings the next school day.

There was some real excitement 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 learn about the outcome of their in-class research.

The Students Compare Their Answers With the Results From A Council of Chemical Dependency Specialists

When the next school day finally came, Miss Benning handed out a sheet of paper that listed the top five alcoholism signs according to the pupils’ rankings. To the right of these results, she included another column that was labeled “experts’ response.” She then told the pupils in her class that the numbers in the second column she added stood for the answers that were generated by a council of alcohol addiction specialists.

Miss Benning told the students in her class to go over the information on the piece of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any questions, issues, or concerns. Within a minute or two, virtually every student in the classroom raised her or his hand. It was obvious that the pupils had some concerns, questions, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. For instance, just about every student had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the experts, that is to say, “Do you feel really nauseous when you refrain from drinking?”

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

Miss Benning then explained to the pupils in her class why this answer was the most precise indicator of alcohol dependency. She stressed the fact that the principal difference between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse is the physical dependency that is experienced with alcohol addiction and not with alcohol abuse.

In essence this means that when an alcohol dependent individual abruptly stops drinking, he or she will go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then informed the pupils in her class that alcohol withdrawal symptoms are responses by the body and by the brain to the deficiency of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more explicitly, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the body and from the brain telling an alcoholic that something is extremely misaligned and needs to be rectified. These signals consist of several dangerous, uncomfortable, and painful withdrawal symptoms that can possibly lead to an individual’s death if the proper therapy is not promptly obtained.

Miss Benning then went over the many diverse alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when an alcohol dependent person abruptly stops 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 dependency signs that the students had ranked, but the one sign or symptom that few, if any, people who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To explain this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning emphasized the point that alcohol abusers, unlike alcoholics, are not alcohol dependent and as a consequence, when they stop drinking, they almost never suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Believe They Have Found An Incongruity With the Findings From The Council of Alcohol Dependency Experts

The students also disagreed with the second ranked answer given by the substance abuse 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 classroom that this sign does not automatically imply that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does stress the need that individuals who are alcohol dependent have to drink in order to keep away from alcohol withdrawals.

After Miss Benning explained the importance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the person who is addicted to alcohol, the pupils started to appreciate the primary difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

To add a sense of closure to the subject, Miss Benning asked the pupils in her class to take out a piece of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual 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 obtain alcohol addiction rehab?”

After roughly three or four minutes, Miss Benning asked for the students’ predictions. While many students reasoned that roughly 70 to 80 percent of people who are addicted to alcohol would get alcoholism treatment 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 55 percent.

The Students Were Shocked to Discover That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent Individuals in the U.S. Obtain Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation

To the surprise of most of the pupils, Miss Benning mentioned that according to different scientific examinations, only 25% of the alcohol dependent people in the United States ask for alcohol addiction rehab. This shocked most of the pupils because they thought that exposure to the shocking facts and statistics correlated with alcohol dependency would motivate most of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol to get alcohol treatment.

Miss Benning then explained that individuals who are addicted to alcohol not only need alcohol everyday in order to function but they also require alcohol everyday so they can avoid possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Clearly, the alcohol addicted person’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than facts or logic. Undeniably, due to the fact that the craving for alcohol is “reality” to the person who is addicted to alcohol, this is a challenging issue that is hard to change.

A few minutes later the bell rang, indicating that the end of class had arrived. Based on the excitement manifested by the pupils when they were leaving the room, Miss Benning realized that she had stimulated and inspired the students in her classroom to stop and think about a vital health and social problem that exists in our country.