Dante was a eighteen year old high school senior who was displaying numerous alcohol-related difficulties at school. As a result, the principal told him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school psychologist, before he would be permitted to come back to class.

Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school expulsion to his parents. His Mother and Father were “relatively old fashioned” and informed Dante that getting removed from school was not a doable educational game plan. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his feet that could probably inhibit his educational achievement for the remainder of his adult life. Furthermore, Dante’s Mom and Dad were quite dismayed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.

They informed Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to understand without much delay that drinking is the map to financial problems, failure, ill health, and pain.

It was plain to see that his Mother and Father were absolutely in agreement with Dante’s principal and told Dante that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his discussion with his parents, Dante in due course agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next afternoon.

The Therapist Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Signaled Such Alarm By the School Administrators

When Dante arrived at his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she instantly reviewed all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had gotten into and asked him if he understood why his recent alcohol-related behavior gave the school administrators room for alarm.

Quite frankly, Dante wondered why the principal told him he had to see a school counselor. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking circumstances? Since almost all of his buddies drink about as much as he does, drinking really shouldn’t be such a big deal. 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 friends introduced him to drinking beer when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter junior high school.

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his buddies may indeed 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 expelled from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his buddies. Furthermore, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his classmates, is the one who is failing and who is missing one day of class per week due to his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson highlighted the fact that due to his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a damaging cycle of hazardous drinking that can sooner or later ruin his aspirations, hopes, and dreams.

In short, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was beginning to foil his ability to behave like an accountable young man. As verbalized by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your buddies drink wine coolers, wine, beer, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the appropriate behavior for you.”

Dante Learns That At the End of the Day He Must Be Responsible For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Dangerous, Destructive, Damaging, and Unhealthy Outcomes Down the Road

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that one’s friends can definitely influence an individual in a negative manner, but that the person herself or himself has to in the long run take responsibility for herself or himself in order to steer clear of damaging, destructive, unhealthy, and dangerous consequences in the future.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was very well equipped for her scheduled appointment with Dante. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that outlined various drinking statistics and facts that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante a lot of information that applied chiefly to teens.

For example, Miss Johnson highlighted the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism and explained to Dante that drinkers who continue to drink in a hazardous manner more often than not become alcoholic.

Miss Johnson also went over the concept of binge drinking that she defined as follows: consuming five or more drinks in one sitting for males and drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females.

The Psychologist Verbalizes Numerous Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts

Then Miss Johnson listed various alcohol facts and the following eight alcohol abuse statistics:

1. The 25.9% of teenage drinkers in the U.S. who are alcohol abusers and alcohol dependent drink 47.3% of the alcohol that is ingested by all teen drinkers.

2. Fifty percent of United States murders are alcohol related.

3. In 2002, U.S. alcohol addiction facts and statistics reported that 2.6 million binge drinkers were between the ages of 12 and 17.

4. It is estimated that more than 3 million teens in the United States between the ages of 14 to 17 are problem drinkers.

5. In the U.S., more than 40% of those who begin drinking at the age 14 or younger become alcohol dependent.

6. Very few of the more than 18 million U.S. alcohol abusers receive the alcohol rehabilitation they need.

7. Teen drinking costs Americans nearly $53 billion annually. If this cost were shared equally by each congressional district, the amount would total more than $120 million per district.

8. Alcohol-related issues are disproportionately found among both adult and juvenile criminal offenders.

Dante Gets A Meaningful Primer on the Facts Concerning the Long Term and the Short Term Results of Youth Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

After Miss Johnson verbalized the aforementioned alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was evident that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a real source of revelation for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to put in plain words the long term and the short term results of alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to support what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics that related to people in general, and particularly to teens.

As a matter of fact, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante instantaneously realized why he should not be engaging in excessive and hazardous drinking with or without his pals 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 appraisal for the alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get a thorough physical examination and to go through a comprehensive evaluation of his drinking circumstances so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency rehabilitation program in a practical time frame.

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