An Unpredictable High School Student Displays Several Alcohol-Related Difficulties, Gets Thrown Out of School, and Has to See the School Counselor

Dante was a sixteen year old high school sophomore who was exhibiting more than a few alcohol-related difficulties at school. Therefore, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, 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 situation to his parents. His parents were “relatively traditional” and told Dante that getting discharged from school was not a doable educational game plan. They explained to Dante that failing to graduate from high school would most probably be like a lead weight around his ankles that could probably impede his educational achievement for the rest of his adult life. Moreover, Dante’s Mother and Father were very disappointed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his classmates in the second.

They told Dante that even though he may be a teen, he has to understand fairly swiftly that drinking is the path to financial problems, failure, ill health, and pain.

It was clear that his Mom and Dad were out-and-out in full agreement with Dante’s principal and told Dante that he had better make up his mind to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist. After his talk with his Mom and Dad, Dante finally agreed to see Miss Johnson the next day. So Dante phoned the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next morning before school.

The Psychologist Asks Dante if He Comprehends Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Behavior Caused Quite a Bit of Apprehension By the School Administrators

When Dante went to see Miss Johnson, she promptly examined all of the alcohol-related problems Dante had gotten into and asked him if he comprehended why his recent alcohol-related actions caused quite a bit of anxiety by the school administrators.

Quite frankly, Dante wondered why the principal informed him that he had to see a school therapist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking circumstances? Because almost all of his friends drink about as much as he does, primarily, drinking shouldn’t be such a big thing. Stated more forcefully, if nearly everybody is drinking, why is this such a major problem?

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 peers 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 kicked out of school due to alcohol-related delinquency, absenteeism, and fighting, not his buddies. 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 class per week because of his alcohol related difficulties. Lastly, Miss Johnson emphasized the fact that because of his drinking behavior, Dante is getting into a harmful cycle of excessive drinking that can in time destroy his aspirations, hopes, and dreams.

In short, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was starting to thwart his ability to act like a responsible young man. As pronounced by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your peers drink beer, hard liquor, wine, or wine coolers does not mean that it is the appropriate behavior for you.”

Dante Learns That Sooner or Later He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Prevent Destructive, Damaging, Unhealthy, and Dangerous Situations In the Future

Miss Johnson told Dante that one’s classmates can unquestionably influence a person in an unhealthy manner, but that the individual herself or himself has to finally claim responsibility for herself or himself in order to stay away from dangerous, unhealthy, destructive, and damaging effects in the foreseeable future.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was extremely well prepared for her scheduled appointment with Dante. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that summarized various drinking facts and statistics that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a bit of figures and reports that applied especially to adolescents.

For instance, Miss Johnson underscored the difference between alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse and explained to Dante that people who continue to drink in an excessive manner frequently become alcoholic.

Miss Johnson also went over the concept of binge drinking that 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 Articulates Quite a Few Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Facts and Statistics

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

1. Alcohol is a contributing factor in roughly half of America’s murders, accidental deaths, and suicides.

2. Accidents related to alcohol are the leading cause of fatalities among young people.

3. Each year in the U.S., just about 5,000 young people under the age of 21 lose their lives because of underage drinking. This includes nearly 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle accidents.

4. Research has demonstrated that U.S. teenagers who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teens who never consume alcohol.

5. Approximately 1,700 college students in the U.S. are killed annually–roughly 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 engage in driving under the influence of alcohol.

7. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 76 million individuals throughout the world suffer from disorders that are related to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency.

8. As revealed by recent substance abuse research findings, it has been discovered that just about 53% of the adults in the United States have articulated that one or more of their close family members is an alcohol abuser or is dependent on alcohol.

Dante Receives A Relevant Wake Up Call Concerning the Short Term and the Long Term Effects of Adolescent Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency

After Miss Johnson stated the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency statistics and facts, it was obvious that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a real jolt to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to put in plain words the long term and the short term outcomes of alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse, but she also took the time to corroborate what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics and facts that related to everybody in general, and especially to underage drinkers.

Indeed, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante at once realized why he should not be engaging in excessive and abusive drinking with or without his buddies any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the material she presented.

Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical examination and an alcohol evaluation for the alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction rehab he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for few minutes and then agreed to get an extensive physical exam and to go through a comprehensive appraisal of his drinking condition so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab program in a reasonable time frame.