Dante was a seventeen year old high school senior who was manifesting more than a few alcohol-related issues at school. Therefore, the principal told him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor, before he would be permitted to return to class.

Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school discharge to his parents. His Mom and Dad were “fairly conventional” and explained to Dante that getting discharged from school was not a satisfactory educational plan of action. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would most probably be like a lead weight around his feet that may hurt his educational attainment for the rest of his life. Furthermore, Dante’s Mother and Father were quite unhappy that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his buddies in the second.

They informed Dante that although he may be young, he has to realize fairly rapidly that drinking is the path to failure, financial problems, pain, and ill health.

It was clear that his Mother and Father were completely in accord with Dante’s principal and explained to Dante that he had better make plans to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist. After his dialogue with his Mother and Father, Dante at 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 afternoon after school.

The Psychologist Asks Dante if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Were Such a Cause For Concern By the School Administrators

When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she immediately looked at all of the alcohol-related problems Dante had experienced and asked him if he understood why his recent alcohol-related activities gave the school administrators room for alarm.

Quite sincerely, Dante questioned why the principal informed him that he had to see a school therapist. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking activities? Due to the fact that almost all of his classmates drink as much if not more than he does, drinking really is no big thing. Stated differently, if almost everyone 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 classmates introduced him to drinking wine coolers when he was twelve or thirteen years old and between the sixth and seventh grades.

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that while his pals may in fact 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 delinquency, absenteeism, and fighting, not his buddies. Furthermore, Miss Johnson also underscored the fact that Dante, and not his classmates, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of school per week due to his alcohol related problems. Lastly, Miss Johnson stressed the fact that because of his drinking situation, Dante is getting into a destructive cycle of abusive drinking that can in time destroy his life.

In short, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was beginning to short-circuit his ability to function as an accountable young man. As put into words by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your classmates drink wine, hard liquor, wine coolers, or beer does not mean that it is the correct behavior for you.”

Dante Learns That Eventually He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Dangerous, Destructive, Damaging, and Unhealthy Circumstances In the Future

Miss Johnson told Dante that one’s peers can undeniably influence an individual in a negative manner, but that the person himself or herself has to eventually be responsible for himself or herself in order to avoid damaging, unhealthy, destructive, and dangerous consequences in the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Miss Johnson was very well prepared for her scheduled time with Dante. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that summarized diverse drinking facts and statistics that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Dante a lot of data that applied particularly to underage drinkers.

As an illustration, Miss Johnson underscored the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction and told Dante that people who continue to drink in an abusive manner commonly become dependent on alcohol.

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 Conveys Quite a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Facts and Statistics

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

1. The 25.9% of adolescent drinkers in the United States who are alcoholic and alcohol abusers drink 47.3% of the alcohol that is consumed by all teen drinkers.

2. Fifty percent of U.S. homicides are related to alcohol.

3. In 2002, U.S. alcoholism statistics and facts showed 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 U.S. between the ages of 14 to 17 are problem drinkers.

5. In the U.S., more than forty percent of those who begin 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 need.

7. Adolescent 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 juvenile and adult criminal offenders.

Dante Receives An Important Jolt of Reality Regarding the Short Term and the Long Term Results of Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency

After Miss Johnson conveyed the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was obvious that what Miss Johnson disclosed to Dante was a real source of discovery for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to put in plain words the short term and the long term outcomes of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also took the time to substantiate what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction statistics and facts that related to people in general, and chiefly to young people.

Certainly, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante promptly realized 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 material she went over.

Miss Johnson then asked Dante how he felt about getting a physical examination and an alcohol assessment 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 comprehensive physical examination and to go through an extensive appraisal of his drinking behavior so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab program right away.

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