Cindy was watching a special on cable TV about the short term and the long term effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.  As Cindy watched the program she started to think about her drinking behavior.

Could she become a moderate drinker rather than getting drunk a few times every month?  Are her terrible hangovers a symptom of a serious drinking problem?  Did she abuse alcohol on a fairly regular basis?  Will she become alcohol dependent like her uncle?  Is her binge drinking a sign of chronic alcohol abuse?   Does she need to get alcohol treatment for her problem drinking?

While the focal point of Cindy’s attention was on the long term outcomes of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, she also began to think about the short term effects of excessive drinking.

She reasoned that by centering her attention only on the long term consequences of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, she might ignore what is taking place in her “drinking” behavior in the here-and-now.

To her credit, Cindy actually began to think about and do something positive about her current drinking issues so that she would not have to address more significant problems in the future.

Melissa was a fifth-grade student in the smallest elementary school in the city.  Because of the number of alcohol-related problems that had been displayed by pre-teens and teenagers in the local community, elementary school students were learning about the dangers and health issues associated with alcohol abuse and alcoholism as early as the fourth grade.

One day while Mr. Blackwell, Melissa’s teacher, was going over the adverse outcomes of abusive and hazardous drinking he decided to make a lateral move and teach the class about alcohol poisoning.

When Mr. Blackwell started talking about some of the basic alcohol poisoning symptoms that a person can exhibit, Melissa raised her hand and asked if getting drunk automatically meant that the drinker would manifest some of the alcohol poisoning symptoms.

This provided Mr. Blackwell with a nice transition into a discussion of blood alcohol level and how every individual is different in the way he or she responds to excessive and abusive drinking.

Randy is a junior at a small rural high school in the Southeaster part of the United States.   Similar to a lot of his buddies, he drinks beer on the weekends.  While watching TV one Wednesday evening, he flipped through the channels and found a special program about teenage alcohol abuse.

Until this time in his life, Randy never considered that he involved himself in alcohol abuse.  Why?  Because he didn’t drink everyday and he only got drunk once or twice every month.

To him, his drinking was less of a reflection of alcohol abuse and more an issue having fun and getting drunk just like all of his pals. After watching the special TV program about adolescent alcohol abuse, to the contrary, Randy now understands that every time he gets drunk, he is involving himself in alcohol abuse.

To be honest, since I stopped drinking I actually miss the “mellow” feeling from having a few beers.  And I can honesty say that probably the absolute best time I can remember was when I got drunk one night at a local bar about twenty years ago and had the fun of my life.

But now that I am older, I know that drinking irresponsibly has terrible consequences and that getting drunk on a regular basis can help a person make the transition from alcohol abuse to alcohol addiction.  Because I choose not to deal with anything that is related to addiction, it is just easier for me to totally refrain from drinking.

Sure, I miss the “buzz” from drinking a few beers but I also treasure the great feeling I now have knowing that I don’t have to worry about DUIs, alcohol-related traffic accidents, hangovers, or ANY alcohol-related problems.