Dante was a eighteen year old high school senior who was displaying more than a few alcohol-related issues at school. Therefore, the principal told him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school psychologist, before he would be permitted to return to class.
Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to go over his school expulsion with his Mother and Father. His Mom and Dad were “relatively conservative” and told Dante that getting kicked out of school was not a workable educational plan of action. They explained to Dante that failing to graduate from high school would likely be like a lead weight around his feet that may impede his educational attainment for the remainder of his life. Not only this, but Dante’s Mom and Dad were quite unhappy that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.
His parents informed Dante that even though he may be an adolescent, he needs to realize fairly rapidly that drinking is the pathway to failure, financial problems, pain, and ill health.
It was obvious that his Mother and Father were in total agreement with Dante’s principal and told Dante that he had better come to the realization that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his chat with his Mother and Father, Dante at last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante phoned the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his sixth period class.
The Therapist Asks Dante if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Behavior Made the School Administrators Uneasy
When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she without pause examined all of the alcohol-related problems Dante had gotten into and asked him if he comprehended why his recent alcohol-related actions were such a cause for concern.
Quite honestly, Dante was unsure why the principal informed him that he had to see a school psychologist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking circumstances? Due to the fact that virtually all of his friends drink the same amount that he does, drinking really is no big thing. Stated another way, if nearly everyone is drinking, why is this such a major concern?
Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink. He said that some of his older buddies introduced him to drinking wine when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter the seventh grade.
Miss Johnson informed Dante that while his buddies may indeed drink more than he does and that they may be an unhealthy influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting expelled from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his peers. Furthermore, Miss Johnson also highlighted the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least two days of school per week due to his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson stressed the fact that because of his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a damaging cycle of alcohol abuse that can at the end of the day destroy his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was beginning to thwart his ability to function as an accountable young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your pals drink wine, wine coolers, hard liquor, or beer does not mean that it is the right thing to do for you.”
Dante Learns That Ultimately He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Destructive, Damaging, Dangerous, and Unhealthy Outcomes In the Foreseeable Future
Miss Johnson explained to Dante that other individuals can indeed influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual herself or himself has to sooner or later claim responsibility for himself or herself in order to stay away from unhealthy, damaging, dangerous, and destructive effects in the foreseeable future.
Luckily, Miss Johnson was quite organized for her meeting with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that listed different drinking statistics and facts that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante a lot of figures and reports that applied particularly to teenagers.
As an illustration, Miss Johnson emphasized the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency and explained to Dante that people who continue to drink excessively often become alcoholic.
Miss Johnson also discussed the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: ingesting four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females.
The Counselor Verbalizes More Than a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Facts and Statistics
Then Miss Johnson articulated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:
1. As revealed in one study, roughly 11% of 8th-graders, 22% of 10th-graders, and 27% of 12th-graders articulated that they engaged in abusive drinking.
2. Between 48% and 64% of the people who pass away in fires have blood alcohol levels demonstrating inebriation.
3. Pre-teens who are drinking alcohol by 7th grade are more probable to report academic problems, substance use, and delinquent behavior in both high school and junior high school.
4. In the United States, 33% of all suicides, and 25% of all emergency room admissions are related to alcohol.
5. In the United States among drivers between the ages of 15 and 20, fatal accidents involving a single vehicle at night are three times more likely to be alcohol-related than to other fatal accidents.
6. In the U.S., more than 40 percent of the individuals who begin drinking before the age of 13 will develop alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction at some point in their lives.
7. In the U.S, by the time they are high school seniors, 80% of teenagers have drank alcohol and 62% have been inebriated.
8. Treatment for alcohol dependency has been demonstrated to reduce criminal activity up to 80% among chronic offenders, has reduced their health care costs, decreased their homelessness, and increased their rate of employment.
Dante Receives An Important Wake Up Call About the Short Term and the Long Term Outcomes of Underage Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse
After Miss Johnson verbalized the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts, it was clear that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a real shock to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to articulate the short term and the long term outcomes of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also made the effort to back up what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction statistics and facts that related to people in general, and principally to adolescents.
Certainly, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante promptly comprehended why he should not be engaging in excessive and hazardous drinking with or without his friends anymore. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the information she presented.
Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency treatment he would probably need.
Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get a complete physical exam and to go through a thorough evaluation of his drinking behavior so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency rehab program as soon as possible.
