An Impatient High School Student Exhibits Numerous Alcohol-Related Issues, Gets Removed From School, and Has to See the School Psychologist

Larry was a sixteen year old high school sophomore who was displaying numerous alcohol-related problems at school. Therefore, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johns, the school psychologist, before he would be permitted to return to school.

Later that afternoon when Larry went home after school, he had to explain his school situation to his Mother and Father. His Mom and Dad were “old school” and explained to Larry that getting discharged from school was not a viable 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 feet that could probably encumber his educational achievement for the remainder of his life. Furthermore, Larry’s Mom and Dad were quite dismayed that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his friends in the second.

His parents told Larry that although he may be a teen, he has to understand fairly promptly that drinking is the path to pain, failure, financial problems, and ill health.

It was obvious that his Mother and Father were on the same page as Larry’s principal and informed Larry that he had to see Miss Johns, the school counselor. After his dialogue with his Mom and Dad, Larry eventually agreed to see Miss Johns the next day. So Larry called the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johns the next morning.

The Counselor Asks Larry if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Behavior gave the School Administrators Room For Alarm

When Larry arrived at his scheduled appointment with Miss Johns, she immediately analyzed all of the alcohol-related issues Larry had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior caused quite a bit of anxiety by the school administrators.

Quite frankly, Larry questioned why the principal informed him that he had to see a school counselor. As he expressed to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking circumstances? Because virtually all of his buddies drink the same amount that he does, basically, drinking is no big issue. Stated more directly, if almost everyone is drinking, why is this such a major problem?

Miss Johns asked Larry when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older pals introduced him to drinking wine when he was twelve or thirteen years old and between the sixth and seventh grades.

Miss Johns informed Larry that while his pals 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 kicked out of school due to alcohol-related delinquency, absenteeism, and fighting, not his peers. Not only this but Miss Johns also underlined the fact that Larry, 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. Lastly, Miss Johns highlighted the fact that because of his drinking activities, Larry is getting into a destructive cycle of hazardous drinking that can eventually ruin his life.

In a word, Larry’s involvement with adolescent alcohol abuse was beginning to thwart his ability to behave like a responsible young man. As put into words by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your pals drink wine, wine coolers, hard liquor, or beer does not mean that it is the correct behavior for you.”

Larry Learns That In the End He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Avoid Dangerous, Unhealthy, Destructive, and Damaging Consequences Down the Road

Miss Johns explained to Larry that others can definitely influence an individual in an unhealthy manner, but that the person herself or himself has to in the end claim responsibility for herself or himself in order to avert dangerous, destructive, unhealthy, and damaging circumstances down the road.

Fortunately, Miss Johns was very well prepared for her scheduled meeting with Larry. She showed him research studies and reports she had highlighted that summarized various drinking statistics and facts that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Larry quite a bit of data that applied principally to teens.

As an illustration, Miss Johns stressed the difference between alcoholism and alcohol abuse and informed Larry that individuals who continue to drink abusively repeatedly become dependent on alcohol.

Miss Johns also went over the concept of binge drinking that she defined as follows: ingesting four or more drinks in one sitting for females and drinking four or more drinks in one sitting for females.

The Psychologist Lists Several Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts

Then Miss Johns articulated 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 consumed by all teen drinkers.

2. Fifty percent of United States murders are alcohol related.

3. In 2002, U.S. alcoholism facts and statistics showed 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 alcohol abusers or alcohol dependent.

5. In the U.S., more than 40 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 treatment they require.

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 problems are disproportionately found among both juvenile and adult criminal offenders.

Larry Receives An Important Primer on the Facts About the Short Term and the Long Term Results of Teenage Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johns conveyed the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and statistics, it was obvious that what Miss Johns revealed to Larry was a real jolt to him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to give an explanation of the long term and the short term consequences of alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction, but she also made the effort to corroborate what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency facts and statistics that related to people in general, and mainly to teens.

To be sure, it was almost as if a light went on and Larry without pause understood why he should not be engaging in excessive and abusive drinking with or without his peers 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 appraisal for the alcohol rehab he would probably need.

Larry thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get a thorough physical exam and to go through a thorough evaluation of his drinking condition so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehabilitation program in a practical time frame.