My Fitness Edge

Dante was a sixteen year old high school junior who was displaying more than a few alcohol-related issues at school. Consequently, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist, 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 expulsion to his parents. His Mom and Dad were “relatively old-style” and informed Dante that getting suspended from school was not a tolerable educational option. They informed Dante that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his ankles that could probably inhibit his educational achievement for the rest of his adult life. Moreover, Dante’s Mom and Dad were extremely dissatisfied that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his classmates in the second.

They informed Dante that although he may be an adolescent, he needs to realize fairly promptly that drinking is the map to ill health, failure, pain, and financial problems.

It was evident that his parents were in total agreement with Dante’s principal and told Dante that he had better come to the realization that he needs to see Miss Johnson, the school therapist. After his discussion with his Mom and Dad, Dante in the end agreed to see Miss Johnson the next school day. So Dante phoned the school and scheduled an appointment to see Miss Johnson the next day during his third period class.

The Counselor Asks Dante if He Knows Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Activities Made the School Administrators Uneasy

When Dante got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johnson, she instantly went over all of the alcohol-related issues Dante had gotten into and asked him if he comprehended why his recent alcohol-related behavior was such a cause for concern.

Quite candidly, Dante questioned why the principal informed him that he had to see a school therapist. As he stated to Miss Johnson, why should he see a professional therapist about his drinking situation? In view of the fact that virtually all of his pals drink as much if not more than he does, fundamentally, drinking is no big thing. Stated more directly, if just about everybody is drinking, why is this such a big deal?

Miss Johnson asked Dante when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. 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 Johnson explained to Dante that while his friends 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 discharged from school due to alcohol-related fighting, delinquency, and absenteeism, not his buddies. In addition, Miss Johnson also highlighted the fact that Dante, and not his pals, is the one who is failing and who is missing one day of school every week because of his alcohol related problems. Finally, Miss Johnson emphasized the fact that due to his drinking circumstances, Dante is getting into a negative cycle of hazardous drinking that can in the end destroy his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

In a word, Dante’s involvement with teenage alcohol abuse was beginning to thwart his ability to conduct himself like a responsible young man. As conveyed by Miss Johnson, “Just because most of your friends drink wine, beer, hard liquor, or wine coolers does not mean that it is right for you.”

Dante Learns That In the Long Run He Must Be Responsible For Himself In Order to Stay Away From Unhealthy, Damaging, Destructive, and Dangerous Effects In the Foreseeable Future

Miss Johnson explained to Dante that other individuals can indeed influence an individual in an unhealthy manner, but that the individual himself or herself has to sooner or later be responsible for herself or himself in order to avoid unhealthy, damaging, destructive, and dangerous effects in the future.

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

For example, Miss Johnson explained the difference between alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse and explained to Dante that people who continue to abuse alcohol regularly become dependent on alcohol.

Miss Johnson also went over the concept of binge drinking which 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 Counselor Conveys Numerous Alcohol Addiction and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts

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

1. As shown in one study, just about 11% of 8th-graders, 22% of 10th-graders, and 27% of 12th-graders stated that they engaged in hazardous drinking.

2. Between 48% and 64% of the people who expire in fires have blood alcohol levels demonstrating inebriation.

3. Children who are drinking alcohol by 7th grade are more probable to manifest academic problems, substance use, and delinquent behavior in both high school and middle school.

4. In the United States, 33% of all suicides, and 25% of all emergency room admissions are alcohol-related.

5. In the United States among drivers between the ages of 15 and 20, fatal crashes involving a single vehicle at night are three times more probable to be alcohol-related than to other deadly crashes.

6. In the United States, more than 40 percent of the individuals who start drinking before the age of 13 will develop alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction at some point in their lives.

7. In the U.S, by the time they are high school seniors, 80% of teens have tried alcohol and 62% have been intoxicated.

8. Treatment for alcoholism has been demonstrated to reduce criminal activity up to 80% among chronic offenders, has decreased their homelessness, increased their rate of employment, and reduced their health care costs.

Dante Gets A Meaningful Jolt of Reality Regarding the Short Term and the Long Term Effects of Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency

After Miss Johnson articulated the aforementioned alcoholism and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was obvious that what Miss Johnson made known to Dante was a realization 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 results of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, but she also made the effort to back up what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction facts and statistics that related to everybody in general, and particularly to teens.

Without a doubt, it was almost as if a light went on and Dante without pause grasped why he should not be engaging in hazardous and excessive drinking with or without his pals anymore. Dante thanked Miss Johnson for her concern and for the information she went over.

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

Dante thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical examination and to go through an extensive evaluation of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency treatment program in a practical time frame.