For the past twenty-one years Jenny has been a registered nurse at a small rural hospital. Furthermore she has also been teaching Sunday school at the local Unitarian Church. Despite the fact that she lived in a small countryside community where it seemed that every person knew everyone's business, almost nothing was known about Jenny. Needless to say virtually everyone in town knew that she had worked quite a few years as a professional nurse and that she taught Sunday school for as long as she was a resident of their small community. Other than that, however, it almost appeared as if Jenny was simply a visitor in their town.
You can picture the commotion that happened when it was revealed that one Sunday morning Jenny had passed out due to inebriation. To be sure, the article in the local daily newspaper reported that Jenny not only became unconscious, but that she also was arrested for driving under the influence because her blood alcohol level was significantly more than the legal limit for intoxication. This is evidently one of the alcohol effects on the body that no Sunday school teacher wants to have made public to the entire town. But this is specifically what occurred, much to the disappointment of Jenny.
Jenny Gets Extremely Dissatisfied About Her Arrest for Drunk Driving
It almost goes without saying that Jenny was extremely discontented about her drunk driving arrest. Not only should she have known better about drinking and driving because of her nursing status, but she also should have held herself accountable to a more elevated benchmark because of the simple fact that she taught Sunday school.
After her DUI arrest, Jenny thought about moving out of town so that she would not have to feel upset about her arrest and also so she wouldn’t have to give an explanation about her actions for the five hundredth time to the people in town. After meeting with her preacher, nevertheless, she decided that she would get alcohol counseling at a local drug and alcohol rehab center. She did this for two simple reasons. First, it was easy for her to drive to a local rehab hospital. And second, she truthfully wanted the message to get circulated among all the residents in the community that she was honestly addressing her abusive and careless drinking.
Jenny Goes Through Alcohol Detox and Gets an Extensive Exam
After Jenny went through detoxification, she was extensively checked by a physician at the rehab facility. She then underwent two or three laboratory tests where it was ascertained that she was not addicted to alcohol but instead was involving herself in alcohol abuse. In short Jenny was engaging in long term alcohol abuse.
Jenny was provided with the choice of getting registered as an in-patient or getting alcohol rehabilitation as an outpatient. Jenny, nonetheless, felt that she could still work as an RN and carry on with her Sunday school teaching position if she were to be admitted as an out-patient and this is exactly what she did.
According to her rehab action plan, Jenny went to two rehabilitation sessions every four weeks, she learned quite a lot about alcohol info, she worked on her out-of-class “projects,” she got treatment for her depression and other mental health issues, and she learned how to accomplish things in life that did not have anything to do with drinking.
After nine weeks, Jenny thought that her hazardous drinking was under control and so she got discharged from the rehab facility under the stipulation that she would return for follow up treatment once per month for the next eight months. Jenny agreed and followed through on her “word.”
Jenny Decides to Remove Herself From All Drinking Circumstances, Learns That Her Self Image Becomes More Pronounced, and Develops Stronger Commitment in Her Friendships and Relationships
After she went through her treatment Jenny reasoned that she would be able to drink more responsibly and in moderation. After thinking about things more thoroughly, nevertheless, she figured out that she would totally refrain from all drinking circumstances.
When Jenny made this decision, she learned that her self-respect became stronger the more she displayed her power over her life. And as her sense of worth grew more pronounced, it seemed like she became more friendly and began going to more local activities such as flower festivals, local high school football and basketball games, music festivals, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, strawberry festivals, rib roasts, and carnivals. Jenny also began to foster more commitment in her relationships and friendships for the first time since she was in high school.
Jenny Addresses Her Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking, Decides To Do Something Beneficial About It, and Rediscovers Her Faith
Over time, the individuals in the community demonstrated more care for Jenny because she was intermingling with them more regularly and also because she addressed her drinking problem and decided to do something constructive about it. It may have been her imagination, but it also appeared that her Sunday school students manifested more respect and affection for her.
Jenny is a living example of someone who faced a hazardous problem and who did something productive about it. She is also a person who found out that her religious faith is not only something that is intrinsic, but that it is also something that affects the way in which a person relates to other people.
When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a substance abuse class. At that age, I did not understand that alcohol abuse in truth was a sub division of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse and above all about alcohol side effects, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for people all through the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehab and the different alcohol rehab clinics that are typically available to people who engage in abusive drinking.
Negative Outcomes That are Related to Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse
Some of the detrimental end results correlated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class certainly frightened me. The ruined lives and countless serious issues experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. In a word, I did not want to face the wreckage and ruination that alcohol dependent individuals almost always go through.
Reflect on this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What teenager wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that consuming alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What adolescent wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related problems before he or she becomes an adult?
What youth wants to go through alcohol withdrawals when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause problems in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after an individual has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a teenager want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that focuses on excessive drinking?
These issues were so meaningful that I discussed some of them in class throughout the school year. What was entirely incredible to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the damaging results of irresponsible drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about reality and how these consequences can destroy their lives. For the first time in my life I started to understand something that my grandfather used to say to me all through my teen and pre-teen years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
It’s Beneficial, Important, and Energizing to Keep Yourself From the Unhealthy and Damaging Effects of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
And even at my young age, I also started to comprehend how invigorating, important, and beneficial it is in life to keep yourself from the damaging and unhealthy effects of alcohol and drug abuse. And understanding this also led to some commitment issues, conflict, and communication problems in the friendships and relationships I had in high school.
Jennifer is a thirty-seven-year-old customer service manager who has been ingesting alcohol in an irresponsible and hazardous manner since she and her live-in boyfriend discontinued their relationship. In truth, for the past six months she has been drinking very nearly one-and-a-half bottles of wine every night, and on the weekends she also has been drinking more than a few bottles of beer all the way through the day. In a word, Jennifer has been drinking so excessively and abusively that it's a miracle that she hasn't suffered from alcohol poisoning.
After feeling depressed because she was starting to forget about the importance of her health, Jennifer finally told herself that enough is enough, that it’s time to quit the self pity act, that it’s time to stop the abusive drinking, and time to make a new start with her life. So the following Saturday morning at 10:30 AM, she came to a decision that she would quit drinking suddenly and completely without preparation or planning.
When She Stopped Drinking She Felt Awful, She Was Extremely Moody and Nervous, Her Head Was Throbbing, She Started to Sweat Profusely, She Had Absolutely No Appetite, and She Vomited a Number of Times
When Jennifer stopped drinking, she figured that she would most likely be tempted to take a couple of drinks, but she never pictured that she would feel so horrific. More to the point, roughly an hour-and-a-half after she stopped drinking, she vomited several times, she was extremely nervous and moody, her head was throbbing, she had absolutely no appetite, and she started to perspire profusely.
When she called her best pal and informed her that she had stopped drinking and that after a few hours she without any warning started to experience flu-like symptoms, Monica, her best friend, told Jennifer to call her physician and discuss what was going on.
She Admits to Her Physician That She Has Been Drinking In a Hazardous and Irresponsible Manner, That She Just Tried to Quit Drinking, and That She is Experiencing Terribly Unpleasant Flu-Like Symptoms
So Jennifer called her family doctor, informed him that she has been drinking in an excessive and abusive manner for a number of months and that when she tried to suddenly quit drinking earlier in the day, within a few hours she felt as if she had the most unpleasant flu-like symptoms that she had ever suffered through.
Her medical practitioner told her that she may be going through symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and that she should have a friend or family member drive her to the emergency room as soon as humanly possible.
As soon as Jennifer got off the phone, she got a friend to take her to the emergency room. Interestingly, all the way to the hospital, as sick as Jennifer felt, the only thing she could think about was whether or not she might be an alcoholic.
Obviously her healthcare professional had called ahead and informed the emergency room personnel to expect Jennifer because when she got to the hospital, she was met by a nurse and a paramedic who without hesitation asked her to get in the wheelchair they had with them. After getting transferred to the emergency room and undergoing two or three essential tests, it was validated that Jennifer was in truth experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was in need of alcohol detox.
An emergency room healthcare practitioner gave her some medications to address her flu-like symptoms and also administered some meds to help eliminate the alcohol that was still in her blood.
An Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Physician Explains That She is Addicted to Alcohol and Then Goes Over What Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms and Alcohol Dependency Stages Are
After two or three hours, Jennifer was taken from the ER and transported to the recovery room. After she was in recovery for about three hours, Doctor Brosky, a drug and alcohol abuse specialist, came to visit her. He took quite a bit of time and explained in laymen’s language that Jennifer had experienced alcohol withdrawal symptoms when she quit drinking because she had become alcohol dependent.
He then stated that with continuous and heavy drinking, the drinker’s brain steadily adapts to the alcohol so that it can process things in a "routine" way. When the person then abruptly refrains from consuming alcohol, as one would expect, the brain takes action by bringing forth alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Not only this, but her healthcare professional also clearly explained the various alcoholism stages that a person who is alcohol dependent usually goes through as the disease progressively gets worse.
It is Established that Jennifer is in the First Stage of Alcohol Addiction and She Obtains a Favorable Projection For a Complete Recovery if She Gets the Alcohol Dependency Rehab She Needs
Fortunately for Jennifer, it was confirmed that she was in the earliest stage of alcohol addiction and, as a consequence, she received a favorable diagnosis for a complete recovery if she gets the alcohol rehabilitation she requires.
Jennifer told the physician that she will do whatever it takes to get sober and to reclaim her health. She also mentioned that she has an exceptional hospitalization insurance plan that will probably pay for most of the costs needed for rehabilitation. It was clear to see that Jennifer was very pleased with her encouraging medical forecast and felt at ease knowing that she will be able to get the alcohol dependency rehabilitation she needs so that she can begin the road to recovery. After Jennifer talked to her family doctor, one thing was clear: addressing her disease and wanting to pursue the healthiest route was positive for her self esteem but it also augmented the commitment in her relationships and in her friendships.
Jesse had an exceptionally difficult time maintaining a job. To be sure, due to her languor and lack of incentive, she was jobless far more regularly than she was in work. And when she did get a job, she had a very difficult time getting to work when her shift started, she typically got less than great performance evaluations, and she called off sick so consistently that she regularly got fired two or three weeks after she began working. To no one’s surprise, one of the effects of Jesse’s less than positive work history was the fact that she was just about flat broke almost on an everyday basis.
In spite of Jesse’s irresponsible employment record and financial negligence, on the other hand, in some way she made it her business to drink in an irresponsible and excessive manner on an everyday basis. Not surprisingly, her hazardous drinking also resulted in a host of marital difficulties through the years.
Based on her irresponsible and excessive drinking, it came as no big jolt when Jesse got arrested for a fifth DUI. When she went before the court, the magistrate clearly stated to Jesse that her alcohol-related conduct was awful and, as a consequence, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend ten months in the city jail.
Time While Locked Up In Jail To Reflect On The Negative Effects of Excessive and Hazardous Drinking
During her time behind bars, Jesse was required to learn more about alcohol facts, about the damaging effects of irresponsible and excessive drinking, and she was required to get alcohol therapy. The judge emphasized the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol counseling and learns how to live a life of abstinence, she will most probably be spending a lot more time placed behind bars.
Jesse stated that she grasped what the judge was asserting but she still proclaimed that placement in the city jail was not the most productive verdict. The judge disagreed and stated that it was his responsibility to keep alcoholics off the streets who drink and drive and who get arrested for one or more DWIs. To give credibility to this perspective, the magistrate quoted some honored, highly researched alcohol statistics that underlined some of the destructive effects that are correlated with abusive drinking.
Although Jesse comprehended that she drank in a hazardous manner, she never felt that she was a person who was dependent on alcohol. So it was quite a shock when Jesse started to experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal just about four hours after going to jail.
To treat her alcohol withdrawal symptoms in a safe and secure manner, Jesse was taken by ambulance to a rehab facility for alcohol detox and then returned to the municipal jail. While locked up in jail Jesse was given a mental health appraisal for her depression and received alcohol counseling but since she received this rehab as something that was forced upon her, she failed to take ownership of her abusive drinking.
When her time in jail was finished, the magistrate without wavering announced to Jesse that she would be under rigorous scrutiny and would be mandated to take random urine alcohol tests.
Jessie’s Hazardous Drinking Prevents Her From Living in an Adult and Accountable Manner
After hearing how Jesse failed to take ownership of her drinking circumstances and how she unwillingly followed the therapy procedures while in the local jail, the judge knew that it was just a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about her abusive drinking behavior. As the judge reflected on Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some people never use their brain and discover how to live in an accountable and mature manner.
Jesse had an exceptionally difficult time maintaining a job. To be sure, due to her languor and lack of incentive, she was jobless far more regularly than she was in work. And when she did get a job, she had a very difficult time getting to work when her shift started, she typically got less than great performance evaluations, and she called off sick so consistently that she regularly got fired two or three weeks after she began working. To no one’s surprise, one of the effects of Jesse’s less than positive work history was the fact that she was just about flat broke almost on an everyday basis.
In spite of Jesse’s irresponsible employment record and financial negligence, on the other hand, in some way she made it her business to drink in an irresponsible and excessive manner on an everyday basis. Not surprisingly, her hazardous drinking also resulted in commitment, relationship, and dating problems.
Because of her careless drinking, it came as no big jolt when Jesse got arrested for a second DUI. When she went to court, the judge stated to Jesse that her alcohol-related behavior was awful and, as a consequence, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend nine months in the city jail.
Time While Locked Up In Jail To Reflect On The Negative Effects of Abusive Drinking
During her time in the municipal jail, Jesse was expected to learn more about alcohol facts, about the devastating results of excessive and hazardous drinking, and she was required to get alcohol rehab. The judge emphasized the fact that unless Jesse receives professional alcohol therapy and learns how to live an alcohol-free life, she will most likely be spending a lot more time in the local jail.
Jesse said that she understood what the judge was asserting but she still claimed that placement in the county jail was not the proper ruling. The magistrate saw things from an entirely different orientation and claimed that it was his responsibility to keep alcohol dependent persons off the streets who drive under the influence and who receive one or more DUIs. To substantiate this statement, the magistrate articulated some revered, highly researched alcohol statistics that stressed some of the disruptive results that are associated with irresponsible drinking.
Even though Jesse understood that she drank in an excessive and abusive manner, she never thought that she was an alcoholic. So it was quite a shock when Jesse started to experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal nearly six hours after going to jail.
To treat her alcohol withdrawal symptoms in a safe and sound manner, Jesse was taken by ambulance to a rehabilitation facility for alcohol detox and then brought back to the local jail. While locked up in the local jail Jesse undertook a mental health appraisal for her depression and received alcohol treatment but since she received this rehabilitation as something that was forced upon her, she did not take ownership of her excessive and abusive drinking.
When her time behind bars was over, the magistrate without wavering told Jesse that she would be under rigorous scrutiny and would be required to take random breath alcohol tests.
Jessie’s Irresponsible Drinking Prevents Her From Living in an Adult Manner
After hearing how Jesse was unsuccessful in taking ownership of her drinking situation and how she grudgingly followed the rehabilitation protocol while in the city jail, the magistrate knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about her abusive drinking behavior. As the judge reflected on Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some individuals never use their brain and discover how to live in an effective and accountable manner.