Nov 03 2009
An Uptight High School Student Displays A Number of Alcohol-Related Difficulties, Gets Discharged From School, and Has to See the School Therapist
Dante was a sixteen year old high school sophomore who was displaying several alcohol-related problems at school. Consequently, the principal explained to him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, before he would be allowed to come back to school.
Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school situation to his Mother and Father. His parents were “fairly old-style” and told Dante that dropping out of school was not a tolerable 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 could probably encumber his educational aspirations for the rest of his life. What is more, Dante’s Mom and Dad were very letdown that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his buddies in the second.
His Mother and Father informed Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to realize fairly rapidly that drinking is the path to financial problems, pain, failure, and ill health.
It was plain to see that his parents were absolutely in accord with Dante’s principal and explained to Dante that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his conversation with his Mother and Father, Dante in due course agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante phoned the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next afternoon.
The Therapist Asks Dante if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Signaled Such Alarm By the School Administrators
When Dante went to see Miss Johnson, she at once analyzed all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had gotten into and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities signaled such alarm.
Quite frankly, Dante was unsure why the principal explained to him that he had to see a school psychologist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional therapist about his drinking activities? Because just about all of his pals drink as much if not more than he does, in essence, drinking is no big issue. Stated more precisely, if nearly everybody is drinking, why is this such a major problem?
Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink. He said that some of his older pals introduced him to drinking hard liquor when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter junior high school.
Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his pals may in fact drink more than he does and that they may be a bad influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting removed from school due to alcohol-related fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his classmates. Furthermore, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of school every week because of his alcohol related issues. Lastly, Miss Johnson underlined the fact that because of his drinking circumstances, Dante is getting into a dangerous cycle of alcohol abuse that can eventually ruin his life.
In short, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was beginning to short-circuit his ability to behave like an accountable young man. As pronounced by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your classmates drink wine coolers, hard liquor, beer, or wine does not mean that it is right for you.”
Dante Learns That At the End of the Day He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Stay Away From Unhealthy, Damaging, Dangerous, and Destructive Situations In the Foreseeable Future
Miss Johnson explained to Dante that others can without a doubt influence a person in a negative way, but that the person herself or himself has to in time take responsibility for herself or himself in order to keep away from dangerous, damaging, unhealthy, and destructive situations in the foreseeable future.
Luckily, Miss Johnson was well equipped for her meeting with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that outlined diverse drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a lot of data that applied mainly to underage drinkers.
For example, Miss Johnson underscored the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction and informed Dante that individuals who continue to drink abusively commonly become alcohol dependent.
Miss Johnson also articulated the concept of binge drinking which 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 Therapist Conveys More Than a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Facts and Statistics
Then Miss Johnson stated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:
1. As demonstrated in one study, around 11% of 8th-graders, 22% of 10th-graders, and 27% of 12th-graders reported that they involved themselves in abusive drinking.
2. Between 48% and 64% of the individuals who expire in fires have blood alcohol levels showing drunkenness.
3. Pre-teens who are drinking alcohol by 7th grade are more probable to manifest substance abuse, delinquent behavior, and academic problems in both junior high school and high school.
4. In the U.S., more than 50% of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol-related.
5. In the United States among drivers between the ages of 15 and 20, fatal crashes involving a single vehicle at night are three times more likely to be related to alcohol than to other deadly crashes.
6. In the United States, more than 40 percent of the people who start drinking before the age of 13 will develop alcoholism or alcohol abuse at some point in their lives.
7. In the United States, by the time they are high school seniors, 80% of teens have drank alcohol and 62% have been inebriated.
8. Treatment for alcoholism has been demonstrated to reduce criminal activity up to 80% among chronic offenders, has decreased their homelessness, increased their rate of employment, and reduced their health care costs.
Dante Gets A Relevant Wake Up Call About the Short Term and the Long Term Outcomes of Underage Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse
After Miss Johnson articulated the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was apparent 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 took the time to give an explanation of the short term and the long term results of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse, but she also took the time to confirm what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics that related to people in general, and particularly to today’s youth.
Without a doubt, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante immediately comprehended why he should not be engaging in hazardous and abusive drinking with or without his buddies any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the information she discussed.
Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical examination and an alcohol appraisal 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 thorough physical and to go through a complete assessment of his drinking behavior so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program in a realistic time frame.