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

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 “relatively traditional” and informed Larry that getting removed from school was not a practical educational game plan. They told Larry that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his legs that might encumber his educational achievement for the remainder of his adult life. Moreover, Larry’s Mother and Father were very letdown that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.

His Mother and Father informed Larry that even though he may be a teenager, he has to comprehend rather quickly that drinking is the map to pain, financial problems, failure, and ill health.

It was plain to see that his Mom and Dad were in total agreement with Larry’s principal and told Larry that he had better come to the understanding that he needs to see Miss Johns, the school therapist. After his chat with his Mom and Dad, Larry at last agreed to see Miss Johns the next day. So Larry called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johns the next day during his sixth period class.

The Counselor Asks Larry if He Comprehends Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Were Such a Cause For Concern By the School Administrators

When Larry went to see Miss Johns, she promptly went over all of the alcohol-related problems Larry had gotten into and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities caused quite a bit of concern by the school administrators.

Quite honestly, Larry questioned why the principal told him he had to see a school therapist. As he stated to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking activities? Since virtually all of his peers drink the same amount that he does, in essence, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated more directly, if almost 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 friends introduced him to drinking wine when he was twelve or thirteen years old and getting ready to enter the seventh grade.

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 discharged from school due to alcohol-related fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his classmates. Furthermore, Miss Johns also highlighted the fact that Larry, and not his friends, is the one who is failing and who is missing one day of school every week because of his alcohol related problems. Lastly, Miss Johns stressed the fact that due to his drinking activities, Larry is getting into a damaging cycle of alcohol abuse that can in the end destroy his aspirations, hopes, and dreams.

In short, Larry’s involvement with teen alcohol abuse was starting to thwart his ability to behave like an accountable young man. As conveyed by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your buddies drink wine, hard liquor, wine coolers, or beer does not mean that it is the appropriate behavior for you.”

Larry Learns That In the End He Must Be Responsible For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Damaging, Destructive, Dangerous, and Unhealthy Consequences In the Foreseeable Future

Miss Johns told Larry that one’s buddies can certainly influence an individual in a negative manner, but that the person himself or herself has to eventually take responsibility for himself or herself in order to avert dangerous, unhealthy, destructive, and damaging outcomes in the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Miss Johns was quite organized for her scheduled appointment with Larry. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that listed diverse drinking statistics and facts that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Larry a lot of data that applied particularly to adolescents.

As an illustration, Miss Johns emphasized the difference between alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse and told Larry that drinkers who continue to abuse alcohol often become alcoholic.

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

The Therapist Conveys A Number Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Statistics and Facts

Then Miss Johns stated the following eight alcoholism facts and alcohol abuse statistics:

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

2. Fifty percent of United States homicides are related to alcohol.

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

4. It is estimated that more than 3 million teens in the United States between the ages of 14 to 17 are alcohol abusers or alcohol dependent.

5. In the United States, more than 40 percent of those who begin drinking at the age 14 or younger become addicted to alcohol.

6. Relatively 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 annually. If this cost were shared equally by each congressional district, the amount would total more than $120 million per district.

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

Larry Receives An Important Jolt of Reality Concerning the Short Term and the Long Term Results of Adolescent Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johns went over the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was clear that what Miss Johns disclosed to Larry was a real eye opener for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only took the time to articulate the long term and the short term results of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to corroborate what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction facts and statistics that related to people in general, and especially to today’s youth.

Definitely, it was almost as if a light went on and Larry without pause grasped why he should not be engaging in abusive and excessive drinking with or without his peers any longer. Larry thanked Miss Johns for her concern and for the information she went over.

Miss Johns then asked Larry how he felt about getting a physical examination and an alcohol appraisal for the alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency treatment he would probably need.

Larry thought about this for few minutes and then agreed to get a comprehensive physical exam and to go through an extensive assessment of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program as reasonable as possible.