Larry was a eighteen year old high school senior who was manifesting quite a few alcohol-related problems at school. Therefore, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johns, the school counselor, before he would be allowed to return to class.
Later that day when Larry went home after school, he had to go over his school suspension with his parents. His parents were “fairly conventional” and explained to Larry that getting kicked out of school was not a possible educational plan of action. They told Larry that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his ankles that may impair his educational achievement for the remainder of his life. What is more, Larry’s parents were very disturbed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his friends in the second.
His Mother and Father explained to Larry that although he may be an adolescent, he needs to realize without much delay that drinking is the path to financial problems, pain, failure, and ill health.
It was obvious that his Mom and Dad were absolutely in concurrence with Larry’s principal and told Larry that he had to see Miss Johns, the school counselor. After his dialogue with his parents, Larry at long last agreed to see Miss Johns the next day. So Larry called the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johns the next afternoon.
The Psychologist Asks Larry if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Caused Quite a Bit of Apprehension By the School Administrators
When Larry went to see Miss Johns, she instantaneously looked at all of the alcohol-related problems Larry had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities gave the school administrators room for alarm.
Quite honestly, Larry was unsure why the principal told him he had to see a school counselor. As he expressed to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional therapist about his drinking circumstances? Since nearly all of his classmates drink about as much as he does, fundamentally, drinking shouldn’t be such a big deal. Stated more precisely, if nearly everyone is drinking, why is this such a major concern?
Miss Johns asked Larry when he started to drink. He said that some of his older pals introduced him to drinking wine coolers when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter junior high school.
Miss Johns told Larry that while his buddies may indeed 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 removed from school due to alcohol-related fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his classmates. In addition, Miss Johns also underscored the fact that Larry, and not his peers, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of class per week due to his alcohol related problems. Lastly, Miss Johns emphasized the fact that due to his drinking activities, Larry is getting into a negative cycle of alcohol abuse that can in time wreck his hopes, dreams and aspirations.
In a word, Larry’s involvement with teen alcohol abuse was beginning to impede his ability to act like an accountable young man. As put into words by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your classmates drink hard liquor, wine coolers, wine, or beer does not mean that it is the best thing in the world for you.”
Larry Learns That In the End He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Avoid Destructive, Damaging, Dangerous, and Unhealthy Effects In the Foreseeable Future
Miss Johns told Larry that other individuals can indeed influence an individual in an unhealthy way, but that the person himself or herself has to eventually claim responsibility for himself or herself in order to steer clear of destructive, unhealthy, damaging, and dangerous situations in the future.
Luckily, Miss Johns was very well equipped for her meeting with Larry. She showed him research studies and reports she had highlighted that outlined different drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Larry a lot of figures and reports that applied especially to adolescents.
As an illustration, Miss Johns underscored the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and explained to Larry that people who continue to drink in an abusive manner more often than not become alcohol dependent.
Miss Johns also articulated the concept of binge drinking which she defined as follows: drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females and ingesting five or more drinks in one sitting for males.
The Counselor Lists Several Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Statistics and Facts
Then Miss Johns listed the following eight alcoholism facts and alcohol abuse statistics:
1. The 25.9% of teen drinkers in the United States who are alcoholic and alcohol abusers 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 facts and statistics reported that 2.6 million binge drinkers were between the ages of 12 and 17.
4. It is estimated that more than 3 million teenagers in the United States between the ages of 14 to 17 are problem drinkers.
5. In the United States, more than 40% 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 $53 billion per year. If each congressional district shared this cost equally, the amount would total more than $120 million per district.
8. Alcohol-related difficulties are disproportionately found among both juvenile and adult criminal offenders.
Larry Gets A Relevant Primer on the Facts Concerning the Long Term and the Short Term Outcomes of Underage Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction
After Miss Johns verbalized the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was plain to see that what Miss Johns disclosed to Larry was a real source of revelation for 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 results of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to authenticate what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency facts and statistics that related to everyone, and especially to teens.
In actual fact, it was almost as if a light went on and Larry at once understood why he should not be engaging in hazardous and excessive drinking with or without his buddies any longer. Larry thanked Miss Johns for her concern and for the material she went over.
Miss Johns then asked Larry how he felt about getting a physical examination and an alcohol assessment for the alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehabilitation he would probably need.
Larry thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get a thorough physical examination and to go through an extensive appraisal of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction rehabilitation program in a realistic time frame.
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