Dante was a seventeen year old high school senior who was exhibiting several alcohol-related difficulties at school. As a result, the principal told him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, before he would be permitted to return to school.
Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to go over his school suspension with his Mom and Dad. His Mom and Dad were “fairly conservative” and informed Dante that dropping out of school was not a doable educational option. They explained to Dante that failing to graduate from high school would probably be like a lead weight around his ankles that might encumber his educational attainment for the remainder of his life. Not only this, but Dante’s parents were extremely distraught that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his peers in the second.
His Mother and Father informed Dante that although he may be a teen, he has to comprehend without much delay that drinking is the pathway to failure, ill health, pain, and financial problems.
It was apparent that his Mom and Dad were completely in agreement with Dante’s principal and informed Dante that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school psychologist. After his talk with his Mom and Dad, Dante at last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next day. So Dante phoned the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his sixth period class.
The Psychologist 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 promptly looked at all of the alcohol-related problems Dante had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related actions caused quite a bit of concern by the school administrators.
Quite truthfully, Dante wondered why the principal suggested that he see a school counselor. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking circumstances? Since almost all of his peers drink about as much as he does, essentially, drinking is no big thing. Stated more precisely, if just about everybody is drinking, why is this such a major issue?
Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink. He said that some of his older classmates introduced him to drinking hard liquor when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter the seventh grade.
Miss Johnson told Dante that while his buddies may indeed 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 discharged from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his classmates. What is more, Miss Johnson also underscored the fact that Dante, and not his pals, is the one who is failing and who is missing one day of school per week due to his alcohol related difficulties. Finally, Miss Johnson highlighted the fact that due to his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a damaging cycle of abusive drinking that can sooner or later wreck his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
In a word, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was beginning to short-circuit his ability to behave like an accountable young man. As put into words by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your classmates drink hard liquor, wine, beer, or wine coolers does not mean that it is the appropriate behavior for you.”
Dante Learns That Sooner or Later He Must Take Responsibility For Himself In Order to Prevent Destructive, Dangerous, Damaging, and Unhealthy Effects In the Foreseeable Future
Miss Johnson told Dante that one’s peers can undeniably influence a person in an unhealthy manner, but that the individual herself or himself has to in time be accountable for herself or himself in order to prevent damaging, unhealthy, destructive, and dangerous effects down the road.
Luckily, Miss Johnson was very organized for her conference with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had highlighted that listed diverse drinking statistics and facts that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante a lot of data that applied mainly to teenagers.
As an illustration, Miss Johnson underscored the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency and told Dante that individuals who continue to abuse alcohol more often than not become dependent on alcohol.
Miss Johnson also explained the concept of binge drinking that she defined as follows: drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females and ingesting five or more drinks in one sitting for males.
The Therapist Articulates Several Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Statistics and Facts
Then Miss Johnson articulated various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:
1. Alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated 0 billion in 2005. This dollar amount was more than the cost linked to cancer (6 billion) or with obesity (3 billion.
2. More than one-half of U.S. adults have a close relative or family member who has or has had alcohol dependency.
3. More than seventy-five percent of female victims of nonfatal, domestic violence reported that their assailant had been using drugs or drinking.
4. In the United States on an annual basis, more than 33% of pedestrians killed by automobiles were legally drunk.
5. One national research study found that students are less likely to use alcohol if they are socially accepted by others at school and believe that teachers treat students fairly.
6. Research demonstrates that adolescents who use alcohol may remember ten percent less of what they have learned than teens who don’t drink.
7. Around 10% to 20% of the people who drink excessively in the long run develop cirrhosis of the liver (i.e., a scarring of the liver that can be fatal).
8. Up to 40% of the U.S. industrial deaths and 47% of industrial injuries are correlated with alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency.
Dante Receives A Relevant Primer on the Facts Regarding the Short Term and the Long Term Consequences of Youth Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse
After Miss Johnson listed the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics, it was apparent that what Miss Johnson revealed to Dante was a real surprise to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to articulate the long term and the short term outcomes of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also took the time to demonstrate what she was saying with alcoholism and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to everyone in general, and particularly to today’s youth.
As a matter of fact, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante instantaneously grasped why he should not be engaging in abusive and hazardous drinking with or without his peers any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the material she went over.
Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical exam and an alcohol evaluation for the alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency rehab he would probably need.
Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical and to go through an extensive assessment of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab program in a practical time frame.
Comments on this entry are closed.