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Miss Benning was a health teacher at the largest co-ed high school in the county. Even though she had been teaching for only four years, she had already gained a reputation as a person with teaching techniques that motivated and inspired students to learn and to think.

For example, one Wednesday afternoon she addressed her pupils and announced the following: “For the next two weeks we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wide-ranging standpoint and we are also going to learn about several of the most common signs of alcoholism from a more specific point of view.”

“Not all of these alcoholism signs will unquestionably prove that an individual with a drinking problem is an individual who is addicted to alcohol, but the more signs that an individual manifests, the greater the probability that he or she is an individual who is addicted to alcohol.”

Miss Benning then told the class that each person would be responsible for researching three alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her results to the other class members via a twenty-five minute oral presentation.

The Students are Enthused About Giving An In-Depth Presentation to Their Fellow Classmates About Alcoholism Signs

After learning about the diverse alcohol addiction signs for several days, the time had finally arrived for the individual presentations. It was instantaneously apparent that the pupils in her class were energized about the subject because the information that they presented was outstanding. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the enthusiasm manifested by her pupils 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 addiction signs that were presented and discussed in the presentations and in class. Miss Benning then asked the students in her classroom to study the list and rank the top nine alcohol dependency signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After roughly twenty minutes, Miss Benning collected the sheets of paper and informed the pupils in her classroom that after she examines the numbers, she will reveal her findings the next school day.

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

The Students Contrast Their Numbers With the Results From A Team of Alcohol Dependency Specialists

When the next school day came, Miss Benning gave out a sheet of paper that listed the top five alcoholism signs according to the pupils’ rankings. Next to 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 new column she added were the answers that were given by a panel of drug and alcohol abuse authorities.

Miss Benning told the students in her classroom to go over the information on the sheet of paper she passed out and then to raise their hand if they had any concerns, questions, or issues. Within 30 or 40 seconds, just about every student in the class raised her or his hand. It was evident that the pupils had some questions, issues, or concerns about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. For instance, almost every individual in the class disagreed with the highest ranked answer given by the authorities, specifically, “Do you feel exceptionally sick when you abstain from drinking?”

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

Miss Benning then told her pupils why this answer was the most correct sign of alcohol dependency. She highlighted the fact that the essential difference between alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.

Basically this means that when an individual who is alcohol dependent suddenly stops drinking, he or she will experience 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 deprivation of alcohol to which they had become acclimated. Stated more precisely, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are messages from the brain and from the body telling an individual who is alcohol dependent that something is extremely out of kilter and needs to be fixed. These signals consist of a number of painful, dangerous, and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that can potentially lead to a loss of life if the appropriate therapy is not immediately received.

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

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

To state this as overtly as possible, Miss Benning underscored the point that alcohol abusers, unlike alcohol addicted people, are not alcohol dependent and as a consequence, when they stop drinking, they almost never experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Think They Have Found An Incongruity With the Findings From The Team of Alcohol Addiction Experts

The students also disagreed with the second ranked answer given by the alcohol dependency professionals, to be precise, “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 pupils in her classroom that this sign does not necessarily mean that the problem is alcohol dependency, but that it does stress the need that individuals who are alcohol dependent have to drink in order to stay away from alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the significance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol addicted individual, the students started to grasp the key difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

To add a sense of closure to the topic, 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 alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol addiction signs we have studied, what percentage of them do you think would obtain alcohol rehab?”

After about three or four minutes, Miss Benning asked for the pupils’ predictions. While many pupils thought that around 70 to 80 percent of alcohol dependent individuals would seek alcohol addiction rehab 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 60 percent.

The Students Were Surprised to Find Out That Only 25% of Alcohol Dependent People in the United States Obtain Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation

To the shock of most of the pupils, Miss Benning confirmed that according to different scientific investigations, only 25% of the alcohol addicted individuals in the United States obtain alcohol rehabilitation. This astonished most of the pupils because they thought that first-hand knowledge of the awful statistics and facts related to alcohol dependency would motivate most of the alcohol addicted individuals to seek alcohol rehabilitation.

Miss Benning then stated that people who are alcohol dependent not only need alcohol everyday in order to function but they also need alcohol on a daily basis so they can stay away from possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Obviously, the alcohol dependent person’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than facts or logic. Certainly, because the desire for alcohol is “reality” to the alcohol addicted individual, this is a demanding issue that is hard to change.

The Pupils are Inspired to Learn About Alcoholism Symptoms and Signs in Today’s Society

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

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Miss Benning was a health instructor at the largest parochial high school in the county. Even though she had been teaching for only four years, she had already acquired a reputation as a person with instructional approaches that encouraged and inspired her pupils to learn and to think.

For instance, one Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 she addressed her pupils and announced the following: “For the next few days we are going to learn about some basic alcoholism facts from a more wide-ranging viewpoint and we are also going to learn about some of the most familiar signs of alcoholism from a more detailed standpoint.”

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

Miss Benning then told the members in the class that each pupil would be held responsible for researching four alcoholism signs and then presenting his or her findings to the other members in the class via a ten minute oral presentation.

The Students are Energized About Giving A Comprehensive Presentation to Their Fellow Pupils About Alcohol Addiction Signs

After learning about the different signs of alcoholism for several days, the time had come for the individual presentations. It was at once obvious that the students were enthused about the subject because the information that they presented was excellent. To say that Miss Benning was pleasantly surprised with the interest manifested by the students in her class regarding this topic 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 study the list and rank the top ten alcoholism signs that were most indicative of alcohol addiction. After approximately fifteen minutes, Miss Benning collected the pieces of paper and told the pupils in her class that after she tallies the numbers, she will present her findings the next school day.

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

The Students Contrast Their Answers With the Appraisals From A Panel of Chemical Dependency Specialists

When the next school day came, Miss Benning gave out a sheet of paper that listed the top four alcohol addiction signs according to the students’ rankings. To the left of these results, she added another column that was labeled “correct response.” She then explained to her pupils that the numbers in the extra column she added were the conclusions that were announced by a board of drug and alcohol addiction authorities.

Miss Benning told the pupils in her classroom 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 40 or 50 seconds, just about every pupil in the class raised her or his hand. It was evident that the students had some concerns, questions, or issues about their results versus the answers given by the professionals. As an illustration, almost every pupil had an issue with the highest ranked answer given by the experts, that is to say, “Do you feel exceptionally sick when you quit drinking?”

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

Miss Benning then informed the pupils in her classroom why this answer was the most accurate indicator of alcohol dependency. She pointed out that the chief difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism is the physical addiction that is experienced with alcohol dependency and not with alcohol abuse.

For all intents and purposes this means that when an alcohol dependent person abruptly stops drinking, he or she will experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Miss Benning then informed 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 accustomed. Stated another way, alcohol withdrawal symptoms are signals from the body and from the brain telling an alcohol dependent person that something is exceedingly incorrect and needs to be fixed. These messages consist of a number of uncomfortable, painful, and dangerous withdrawal symptoms that can possibly lead to an individual’s death if the appropriate therapy is not promptly received.

Miss Benning then listed the multitude of alcohol withdrawal symptoms that can be gone through when an alcohol dependent person abruptly quits drinking.

The fact that Miss Benning tried to underscore 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, individuals who engage in alcohol abuse ever experience is alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

To state this as plainly as possible, Miss Benning stressed the point that alcohol abusers, unlike individuals who are addicted to alcohol, are not alcohol dependent and as a result, when they stop drinking, they almost never go through alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

The Pupils Think They Have Uncovered A Discrepancy With the Findings From The Panel of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Authorities

The students also some difficulty with the second ranked answer given by the alcoholism specialists, to be precise, “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 pupils in her class that this sign does not inevitably imply that the problem is alcoholism, but that it does stress the need that alcohol dependent people have to drink in order to steer clear of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

After Miss Benning explained the significance of alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the life of the alcohol addicted person, the students started to comprehend the essential difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency.

To add a sense of closure to the subject, Miss Benning asked the students in her classroom to take out a sheet of paper and answer the following question: “if every individual who is alcohol dependent 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 rehabilitation?”

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

The Pupils Were Shocked to Learn That Only 25% of Alcohol Addicted People in the United States Get Alcohol Addiction Rehabilitation

To the amazement of most of the pupils, Miss Benning proclaimed that according to the research literature, only 25% of the individuals who are addicted to alcohol in the United States get alcohol dependency treatment. This astonished most of the pupils because they reasoned that first-hand knowledge of the devastating facts and statistics related to alcoholism would motivate the majority of the alcohol dependent people to get alcohol rehabilitation.

Miss Benning then stated that individuals who are alcohol dependent 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. Evidently, the alcoholic’s need to drink on a daily basis is more powerful than logic or facts. Undeniably, due to the fact that the craving for alcohol is “reality” to the alcoholic, this is a demanding issue that is difficult to change.

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

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