Dante was a seventeen year old high school junior who was displaying a number of alcohol-related difficulties at school. Consequently, the principal explained to him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, before he would be permitted to return to class.
Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to clarify his school situation to his parents. His Mom and Dad were “fairly old-fashioned” and explained to Dante that getting suspended from school was not a tolerable educational game plan. They informed Dante that failing to graduate from high school would probably be like a lead weight around his legs that might impair his educational attainment for the rest of his adult life. Moreover, Dante’s Mother and Father were very unhappy that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.
His Mom and Dad told Dante that even though he may be young, he has to comprehend without much delay that drinking is the route to financial problems, ill health, pain, and failure.
It was clear that his Mother and Father were 100% in agreement with Dante’s principal and told Dante that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist. After his discussion with his Mother and Father, Dante at long last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next day. So Dante called the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next morning before school.
The Counselor Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Caused Quite a Bit of Anxiety By the School Administrators
When Dante went to see Miss Johnson, she promptly analyzed all of the alcohol-related difficulties Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities were such a cause for concern.
Quite candidly, Dante was not sure why the principal informed him that he had to see a school therapist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking behavior? In view of the fact that almost all of his classmates drink as much if not more than he does, primarily, drinking is no big issue. Stated more explicitly, if almost everyone is drinking, why is this such a major concern?
Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older friends introduced him to drinking beer when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.
Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his classmates may in fact drink more than he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting removed from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his pals. Not only this but Miss Johnson also emphasized the fact that Dante, and not his pals, is the one who is failing and who is missing one day of class every week due to his alcohol related issues. Lastly, Miss Johnson emphasized the fact that because of his drinking circumstances, Dante is getting into a dangerous cycle of abusive drinking that can finally destroy his life.
In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was starting to thwart his ability to conduct himself like a responsible young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your peers drink beer, wine coolers, wine, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the healthiest thing for you.”
Dante Learns That Ultimately He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Unhealthy, Dangerous, Damaging, and Destructive Effects In the Foreseeable Future
Miss Johnson explained to Dante that one’s peers can without a doubt influence an individual in an unhealthy way, but that the individual herself or himself has to in the long run take responsibility for herself or himself in order to avert unhealthy, dangerous, damaging, and destructive effects down the road.
Luckily, Miss Johnson was very well prepared for her meeting with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that listed different drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a bit of figures and reports that applied chiefly to adolescents.
For instance, Miss Johnson stressed the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and explained to Dante that drinkers who continue to drink excessively commonly become alcoholic.
Miss Johnson also articulated the concept of binge drinking that she defined as follows: consuming four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking five or more drinks in one sitting for males.
The Psychologist Presents More Than a Few Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts
Then Miss Johnson listed various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:
1. Alcohol is a contributing factor in nearly half of America’s suicides, accidental deaths, and suicides.
2. Accidents related to alcohol are the leading cause of fatalities among young people.
3. Each year in the United States, almost 5,000 youth under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. This includes roughly 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle accidents.
4. Research has shown that U.S. teenagers who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teens who never ingest alcoholic beverages.
5. Just about 1,700 college students in the U.S. lose their lives annually–around 4.65 per day–as a result of injuries that are alcohol related.
6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 claimed that they engage in driving under the influence of alcohol.
7. The World Health Organization estimates that around 76 million individuals throughout the world experience alcohol-related disorders.
8. According to recent drug and alcohol abuse research findings, it has been discovered that nearly 53% of the adults in the United States have articulated that one or more of their close family members has a problem with alcohol.
Dante Receives An Important Wake Up Call Regarding the Short Term and the Long Term Outcomes of Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
After Miss Johnson went over the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction facts and statistics, it was plain to see that what Miss Johnson revealed to Dante was a real eye opener for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to explain the short term and the long term consequences of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, but she also made the effort to corroborate what she was saying with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts that related to everybody in general, and particularly to teens.
In actual fact, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante instantaneously understood why he should not be engaging in excessive and hazardous drinking with or without his friends any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the material she reviewed.
Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction rehab he would probably need.
Dante thought about this for few minutes and then agreed to get a complete physical examination and to go through a thorough assessment of his drinking behavior so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehabilitation program in a practical time frame.
