An Impatient High School Student Displays A Number of Alcohol-Related Issues, Gets Thrown Out of School, and Has to See the School Psychologist
Dante was a sixteen year old high school sophomore who was displaying numerous alcohol-related issues at school. As a result, 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 go over his school discharge with his Mother and Father. His Mother and Father were “fairly old-style” and explained to Dante that getting suspended from school was not a satisfactory educational game plan. They informed Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his legs that could quite possibly hinder his educational achievement for the rest of his life. Furthermore, Dante’s Mother and Father were very disturbed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his friends in the second.
His parents told Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to comprehend fairly rapidly that drinking is the path to ill health, financial problems, failure, and pain.
It was apparent that his parents were completely in concurrence with Dante’s principal and explained to Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school psychologist. After his chat with his Mother and Father, Dante at long last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his sixth period class.
The Counselor Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Activities Caused Quite a Bit of Anxiety By the School Administrators
When Dante went to see Miss Johnson, she instantaneously went over all of the alcohol-related difficulties Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior made the school administrators uneasy.
Quite frankly, Dante was unsure why the principal suggested that he see a school therapist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking activities? Since virtually all of his buddies drink the same amount that he does, primarily, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated another way, if just about everyone is drinking, why is this such a big deal?
Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older classmates introduced him to drinking wine when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.
Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his buddies may in fact drink as much as he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting thrown out of school due to alcohol-related delinquency, absenteeism, and fighting, not his classmates. Moreover, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his classmates, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of school every week because of his alcohol related difficulties. Finally, Miss Johnson underlined the fact that due to his drinking situation, Dante is getting into a dangerous cycle of excessive drinking that can sooner or later wreck his hopes, dreams and aspirations.
In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was starting to impede his ability to act like a responsible young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your peers drink wine, wine coolers, beer, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the best option for you.”
Dante Learns That In the Long Run He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Unhealthy, Damaging, Destructive, and Dangerous Situations In the Foreseeable Future
Miss Johnson informed Dante that others can definitely influence a person in a negative way, but that the individual himself or herself has to sooner or later be responsible for himself or herself in order to avert destructive, damaging, unhealthy, and dangerous consequences down the road.
Luckily, Miss Johnson was well prepared for her appointment with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that summarized different drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a bit of data that applied principally to teenagers.
For instance, Miss Johnson stressed the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and explained to Dante that drinkers who continue to drink abusively often become alcohol dependent.
Miss Johnson also discussed 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 Psychologist States Several Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts
Then Miss Johnson stated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:
1. Alcohol is an issue in almost fifty percent of America’s suicides, accidental deaths, and suicides.
2. Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among teenagers.
3. Each year in the U.S., nearly 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die because of underage drinking. This includes about 1,900 fatalities from motor vehicle accidents.
4. Research has shown that U.S. teens who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teenagers who never drink alcoholic beverages.
5. Roughly 1,700 college students in the United States are killed each year–about 4.65 a day–as a consequence of injuries that are alcohol related.
6. In 2005, 2.1 million American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 asserted that they involve themselves in drinking while driving.
7. The World Health Organization projects that around 76 million people throughout the world have disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction.
8. As demonstrated by recent alcohol abuse studies, it has been discovered that approximately 53% of the adults in the United States have claimed that one or more of their close relatives is an alcohol abuser or is addicted to alcohol.
Dante Gets A Much Needed Jolt of Reality Regarding the Short Term and the Long Term Effects of Teen Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction
After Miss Johnson stated the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts, it was obvious that what Miss Johnson revealed to Dante was a realization for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to put in plain words the short term and the long term effects of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, but she also made the effort to verify what she was saying with alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to people in general, and principally to underage drinkers.
Without a doubt, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante without pause comprehended why he should not be engaging in abusive and excessive drinking with or without his classmates anymore. 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 exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol rehabilitation he would probably need.
Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical and to go through a thorough evaluation of his drinking condition so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program without pause.