Many people who take an online alcohol class think they will be bored and to have the subject matter completely unrelated to them. They come in expecting alcoholic beverages as a legal, harmless beverage that somehow got them into trouble. Almost no student sees that they have a problem
Most people I've met drink. Some estimates say that 50% of all adult U.S. Citizens 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 during any 24 hour period ). Of those between the ages of eighteen and twenty five the number of binge drinkers swelled to more than 40%.
Many of my students say that, "only alcoholics drink heavily" . They think that "homeless people" and "bums" are typical alcoholics. The majority of people have a mental image 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, police officers. You name it. There is no race or profession where alcoholism does not exist.
Binge drinking five or more times in the past month is what defines heavy drinking. A lot of these students, especially those in their early twenties, were shocked to learn that they too have habitually engaged in binge drinking, and that this is basically abusing alcohol. Your age doesn't matter.
One of the most crucial aspects of an alcohol awareness class is to come face to face with the realities of alcohol - your mind and body risks, and also understanding drinking patterns and how each student fits in. With court-required alcohol programs, you have a bunch of students who have each had at least one difficult situation in their life related to alcohol. That's really the only reason why they come to my classroom.
As the alcohol awareness class proceeds I slowly see the dawning recognition in their eyes as the students try to place themselves within these well-known 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 consume alcohol face. This doesn't mean that all drinkers have a problem. Quite the contrary, the majority of people can master their drinking and do not have any issues.