Who Should Take Alcohol Awareness Classes?

Many  people who take  an alcohol class expect to  be bored and to have the topics not apply to them  They come in  expecting  alcohol as a legal, harmless drink that somehow got them into trouble. Almost no student sees himself as having a problem.

Most people drink alcohol. It is estimated that more over 50%  of all Americans aged 12 and older have consumed alcohol within the past 30 days. Among this group of current drinkers almost a quarter admitted to have indulged in binge drinking (5 or more drinks in one day  ). Of those adults under the age of 25  the number of binge drinkers increased  to more than 40%.

Most of my students think that  "only alcoholics need alcohol classes  . They think that "street people"  and "bums" are typical alcoholics.  Many people have  a mental picture that all alcoholics are  "complete losers."  This is not reality  People who abuse alcohol come from all walks of life,  from corporate CEOs, teachers, attorneys, firemen.  You name it. There is no race or profession where alcoholism does not exist.
Heavy drinking is  binge drinking 5 or more times in a single  month. Many of my  students, especially those under 25, were shocked to learn that they have regularly  engaged in binge drinking, and that this behabior  is abusing alcohol, regardless of how old you are.

One of the most significant aspects of an alcohol awareness class is meet  the realities of alcohol - the risks  to your mind and body, as well as learning  drinking patterns and how each student fits in. With court-mandated alcohol classes, you have a group of people  who have all had at least one problem situation  in their life related to alcohol. That is why they are sitting in my classroom  in the first place.

As the alcohol class  proceeds  I slowly see the recognition on their faces as the students try to place themselves within the national patterns. There is not a student that cannot relate to the topics at hand. Recognizing and admitting there could be a problem can be the toughest challenge people who drink  face. This doesn't mean that all drinkers have a problem. In fact  most people  can master their drinking  and do not have a problem.