A Volatile High School Student Displays More Than a Few Alcohol-Related Issues, Gets Discharged From School, and Has to See the School Counselor

Dante was a sixteen year old high school junior who was displaying quite a few alcohol-related difficulties at school. For that reason, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor, before he would be permitted to come back to class.

Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school suspension to his parents. His Mother and Father were “relatively conservative” and explained to Dante that getting removed from school was not a feasible educational option. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his legs that could conceivably impair his educational achievement for the rest of his adult life. What is more, Dante’s Mom and Dad were extremely discontented that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his friends in the second.

They told Dante that although he may be a teenager, he has to comprehend fairly swiftly that drinking is the route to ill health, pain, failure, and financial problems.

It was apparent that his Mom and Dad were completely in accord with Dante’s principal and informed Dante that he had better come to the realization that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his talk with his Mom and Dad, Dante in the end 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 fifth period class.

The Psychologist Asks Dante if He Understands 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 went over all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had gotten into and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior made the school administrators uneasy.

Quite candidly, Dante was unsure why the principal informed him that he had to see a school psychologist. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional therapist about his drinking behavior? Because almost all of his classmates drink as much if not more than he does, drinking really shouldn’t be such a big thing. Stated more directly, 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 buddies introduced him to drinking hard liquor when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter the seventh grade.

Miss Johnson informed Dante that while his classmates may in fact drink as much as 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 fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his pals. Not only this but Miss Johnson also emphasized the fact that Dante, and not his pals, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of school per week because of his alcohol related difficulties. Finally, Miss Johnson highlighted the fact that because of his drinking circumstances, Dante is getting into a negative cycle of hazardous drinking that can finally wreck his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

In a word, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was beginning to foil his ability to function as an accountable young man. As pronounced by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your classmates drink hard liquor, wine coolers, beer, or wine does not mean that it is the healthiest thing in the world for you.”

Dante Learns That Ultimately He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Avoid Destructive, Unhealthy, Dangerous, and Damaging Circumstances Down the Road

Miss Johnson told Dante that one’s classmates can unquestionably influence an individual in an unhealthy manner, but that the person himself or herself has to in the long run be responsible for herself or himself in order to keep away from unhealthy, destructive, dangerous, and damaging situations in the future.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was extremely well equipped for her conference with Dante. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that outlined diverse drinking facts and statistics that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a lot of figures and reports that applied particularly to teenagers.

As an illustration, Miss Johnson underscored the difference between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse and informed Dante that drinkers who continue to drink excessively regularly become alcohol dependent.

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

The Counselor States Numerous Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts

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

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

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

3. In 2002, U.S. alcohol dependency facts and statistics demonstrated 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 alcohol abusers or alcohol dependent.

5. In the U.S., more than 40 percent of those who start drinking at the age 14 or younger become alcoholic.

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

7. Underage drinking costs Americans nearly billion annually. If each congressional district shared this cost equally, the amount would total more than 0 million per district.

8. Alcohol-related problems are unevenly found among both adult and juvenile criminal offenders.

Dante Gets A Relevant Jolt of Reality Concerning the Long Term and the Short Term Consequences of Teen Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johnson presented the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was apparent that what Miss Johnson taught Dante was a real surprise to 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 outcomes of alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction, but she also took the time to authenticate what she was saying with alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to everyone, and particularly to teenagers.

As a matter of fact, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante promptly understood why he should not be engaging in abusive and excessive drinking with or without his friends 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 evaluation for the alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction rehabilitation he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get a complete physical examination and to go through a comprehensive assessment of his drinking condition so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab program without pause.