Dante was a seventeen year old high school senior who was exhibiting several alcohol-related problems at school. For that reason, the principal told him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor, before he would be permitted to return to school.

Later that day when Dante went home after school, he had to clarify his school expulsion to his parents. His parents were “fairly old-style” and told Dante that getting removed from school was not a viable educational option. They informed Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his feet that could quite possibly impede his educational achievement for the remainder of his adult life. Moreover, Dante’s Mom and Dad were extremely displeased that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.

His parents explained to Dante that although he may be a teen, he needs to understand fairly rapidly that drinking is the path to failure, pain, financial problems, and ill health.

It was plain to see that his parents were completely in accord with Dante’s principal and explained to Dante that he had better come to the understanding that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his conversation 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.

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

When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she at once looked at all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had gotten into and asked him if he understood why his recent alcohol-related actions made the school administrators uneasy.

Quite sincerely, Dante was unsure why the principal suggested that he see a school psychologist. As he expressed to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional therapist about his drinking situation? Since nearly all of his peers drink as much if not more than he does, basically, drinking is no big thing. Stated another way, if nearly everybody is drinking, why is this such a big thing?

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

Miss Johnson informed Dante that while his peers 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 kicked out of school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his friends. Moreover, Miss Johnson also underlined the fact that Dante, and not his buddies, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least two days of school every week due to his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johnson underscored the fact that because of his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a harmful cycle of abusive drinking that can finally destroy his aspirations, hopes, and dreams.

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

Dante Learns That In Due Course He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Unhealthy, Dangerous, Damaging, and Destructive Outcomes In the Future

Miss Johnson told Dante that one’s friends can unquestionably influence an individual in an unhealthy way, but that the individual himself or herself has to in the end take responsibility for herself or himself in order to steer clear of unhealthy, dangerous, destructive, and damaging outcomes in the foreseeable future.

Luckily, Miss Johnson was very organized for her appointment with Dante. She showed him research studies and reports she had highlighted that outlined different drinking statistics and facts that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a bit of information that applied especially to underage drinkers.

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

Miss Johnson also articulated 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 Psychologist Articulates More Than a Few Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts

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

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

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

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

4. It is projected that more than 3 million teens in the U.S. between the ages of 14 to 17 are alcohol abusers or alcoholic.

5. In the United States, more than forty percent of those who begin drinking at the age 14 or younger become dependent on alcohol.

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

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

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

Dante Gets A Meaningful Primer on the Facts About the Long Term and the Short Term Results of Underage Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johnson listed the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics, it was evident that what Miss Johnson made known 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 articulate the short term and the long term effects of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also made the effort to substantiate what she was saying with alcoholism and alcohol abuse statistics and facts that related to people in general, and especially to teens.

To be sure, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante instantaneously comprehended why he should not be engaging in abusive and hazardous drinking with or without his pals anymore. 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 exam and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency 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 complete assessment of his drinking circumstances so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency rehabilitation program without pause.