Dante was a seventeen year old high school senior who was exhibiting quite a few alcohol-related problems 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 come back to school.

Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school suspension to his Mom and Dad. His parents were “fairly conservative” and told Dante that getting suspended from school was not a possible educational option. They told Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his feet that might harm his educational achievement for the remainder of his adult life. Not only this, but Dante’s Mother and Father were very upset that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his buddies in the second.

They told Dante that although he may be an adolescent, he has to realize fairly swiftly that drinking is the path to failure, ill health, financial problems, and pain.

It was evident that his Mom and Dad were on the same page as Dante’s principal and told Dante that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist. After his dialogue with his parents, Dante at last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante phoned the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his sixth period class.

The Therapist Asks Dante if He Comprehends Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Made the School Administrators Uneasy

When Dante arrived at his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she promptly looked at all of the alcohol-related problems Dante had gotten into and asked him if he comprehended why his recent alcohol-related activities were such a cause for concern.

Quite sincerely, Dante was not sure why the principal explained to him that he had to see a school psychologist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking behavior? In view of the fact that virtually all of his buddies drink as much if not more than he does, primarily, drinking is no big thing. Stated more forcefully, if almost everybody is drinking, why is this such a big thing?

Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink. He said that some of his older classmates introduced him to drinking wine coolers when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter junior high school.

Miss Johnson told Dante that while his friends may in fact drink more than he does and that they may be an unhealthy influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting kicked out of school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his pals. In addition, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his pals, is the one who is failing and who is missing one day of school per week because of his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson underlined the fact that because of his drinking situation, Dante is getting into a destructive cycle of alcohol abuse that can at the end of the day ruin his aspirations, hopes, and dreams.

In a word, Dante’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was beginning to short-circuit his ability to behave like an accountable young man. As articulated by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your pals drink wine, beer, wine coolers, 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 Accountable For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Unhealthy, Damaging, Dangerous, and Destructive Consequences Down the Road

Miss Johnson informed Dante that others can undoubtedly influence an individual in an unhealthy way, but that the person herself or himself has to at the end of the day take responsibility for himself or herself in order to avert dangerous, damaging, destructive, and unhealthy outcomes in the foreseeable future.

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

As an illustration, Miss Johnson emphasized the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and informed Dante that people who continue to drink excessively more often than not become alcoholic.

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

The Counselor Conveys More Than a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Facts and Statistics

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

1. According to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, there are 105,000 yearly alcohol-related deaths in the United States due to inebriated drivers and related medical conditions, diseases or injuries.

2. Just about 25% of all U.S. individuals who register in general hospitals have alcohol problems or are undiagnosed alcoholics who are being treated for the results of their heavy drinking.

3. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are the third leading cause of preventable fatalities in the United States.

4. More than seven percent of the population that is 18 years old and older — just about 13.8 million Americans — has problems with drinking, including 8.1 million people who suffer from alcoholism.

5. 500,000 Americans who are dependent on alcohol are between the ages of 9 and 12.

6. According to one U.S. study of 18 to 24 year-old current drinkers who did not complete high school, approximately 60% started to drink before they were sixteen years old.

7. Currently, roughly 14 million Americans, 1 in every 13 adults, are addicted to alcohol or are alcohol abusers.

8. As demonstrated by the research literature, non-alcoholic members of alcoholic’s families use 10 times as much sick time as families who do not manifest alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse.

Dante Gets A Much Needed Wake Up Call Regarding the Long Term and the Short Term Results of Youth Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johnson verbalized the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction statistics and facts, it was clear that what Miss Johnson revealed to Dante was a real bombshell to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to give an explanation of the long term and the short term results of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, but she also made the effort to confirm what she was saying with alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to people in general, and chiefly to adolescents.

As a matter of fact, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante promptly comprehended why he should not be engaging in hazardous and excessive drinking with or without his friends any longer. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the information 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 alcohol dependency treatment he would probably need.

Dante thought about this for few minutes and then agreed to get a complete physical examination and to go through a complete appraisal of his drinking condition so that he could start an alcohol rehab program without pause.