Dante was a eighteen year old high school senior who was displaying more than 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 allowed to come back to school.

Later that afternoon when Dante went home after school, he had to explain his school discharge to his Mom and Dad. His Mom and Dad were “fairly conservative” and told Dante that getting suspended from school was not a viable educational option. They informed Dante that failing to graduate from high school would most probably be like a lead weight around his ankles that could conceivably hinder his educational attainment for the remainder of his adult life. Not only this, but Dante’s parents were extremely unhappy that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his peers in the second.

His Mother and Father told Dante that even though he may be young, he needs to understand fairly promptly that drinking is the path to pain, financial problems, failure, and ill health.

It was plain to see that his Mom and Dad were out and out in full accord with Dante’s principal and informed Dante that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school counselor. After his talk with his parents, Dante at last agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school 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 Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Behavior Was Such a Cause For Concern By the School Administrators

When Dante arrived at his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she at once examined all of the alcohol-related problems Dante had experienced and asked him if he comprehended why his recent alcohol-related activities gave the school administrators room for alarm.

Quite truthfully, Dante was not sure why the principal informed 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 circumstances? In view of the fact that nearly all of his friends drink the same amount that he does, primarily, drinking shouldn’t be such a big deal. Stated another way, if nearly everybody is drinking, why is this such a big deal?

Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink. He said that some of his older pals introduced him to drinking wine when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter the seventh grade.

Miss Johnson told Dante that while his buddies may in fact drink as much as 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 pals. Furthermore, Miss Johnson also underscored the fact that Dante, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least two days of class every week because of his alcohol related issues. Lastly, Miss Johnson stressed the fact that because of his drinking activities, Dante is getting into a negative cycle of hazardous drinking that can at the end of the day wreck his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

In short, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was starting to foil his ability to function as an accountable young man. As articulated by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your friends drink wine, wine coolers, beer, or hard liquor does not mean that it is the best thing to do for you.”

Dante Learns That At the End of the Day He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Prevent Damaging, Unhealthy, Destructive, and Dangerous Situations Down the Road

Miss Johnson told Dante that one’s friends can undoubtedly influence a person in an unhealthy way, but that the individual himself or herself has to in the end be responsible for herself or himself in order to stay away from unhealthy, dangerous, destructive, and damaging outcomes down the road.

Fortunately, Miss Johnson was extremely well equipped for her conference with Dante. She showed him reports and research studies she had underlined that outlined diverse drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Dante quite a bit of information that applied especially to teenagers.

For example, Miss Johnson explained the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and informed Dante that drinkers who continue to drink abusively more often than not become alcoholic.

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 Counselor Articulates More Than a Few Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency 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 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 addiction facts and statistics revealed that 2.6 million binge drinkers were between the ages of 12 and 17.

4. It is projected that more than 3 million adolescents in the United States between the ages of 14 to 17 are problem drinkers.

5. In the U.S., more than forty 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 treatment they require.

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

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

Dante Gets An Important Jolt of Reality Concerning the Long Term and the Short Term Effects of Teenage Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johnson listed the aforementioned alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was evident that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a real source of revelation for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to put in plain words the long term and the short term consequences of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to back up what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics that related to everyone, and principally to teenagers.

Certainly, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante immediately grasped why he should not be engaging in hazardous and abusive drinking with or without his buddies 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 thorough physical and to go through an extensive assessment of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program immediately.

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