9781422270929

AN ALL-TOO-COMMON STORY ABOUT ALCOHOL ABUSE

Alcohol abuse affects people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and income levels. A common misconception is that only older people become alcoholics. But alcohol abuse can happen to young people as well. Here is the story of Rachel, a teen who has an alcohol dependency problem. I am not old enough to have my alcohol abuse cause a divorce or loss of a job. However, I feel like because of alcohol, I won’t ever be able to have a wife or family. I may not be able to hold a steady job. Being dependent on alcohol has made me feel like I will never have the adult life I thought I would have. I don’t get up early, so I miss a lot of school. I don’t care about schoolwork now, and I will probably be kicked out of school soon. I find it difficult to maintain my relationships with family and friends. My life is miserable now. This is no way to live. I don’t even know how this happened. I had a few drinks at a party. I started drinking more, but I thought I could handle it. It happened so quickly, I didn’t even notice. Now, I have an uncontrollable problem. I know it is a disease, and I need help. I wouldn’t wish this life on my worst enemy. This story is a very common one. Many teens first try alcohol at a party. Perhaps the teen is just curious about what alcohol tastes and feels like, or perhaps peer pressure is involved. (Peer pressure is when one’s friends or others in one’s relationship circle push or shame them into doing something that they don’t want to do.) Soon, the alcohol use becomes a habit that is hard to kick. It may begin to cause physical problems. Many kids at parties also mix alcohol with drug use, and that can lead to more serious problems.

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Detoxing from Alcohol