An Agitated High School Student Exhibits Numerous Alcohol-Related Difficulties, Gets Expelled From School, and Has to See the School Counselor

Larry was a fifteen year old high school sophomore who was displaying several alcohol-related difficulties at school. Therefore, the principal told him that he had to see Miss Johns, the school therapist, before he would be allowed to return to class.

Later that afternoon when Larry went home after school, he had to go over his school suspension with his Mother and Father. His Mother and Father were “fairly old-style” and told Larry that getting expelled from school was not a viable educational plan of action. They told Larry that failing to graduate from high school would probably be like a lead weight around his legs that might encumber his educational achievement for the remainder of his adult life. Not only this, but Larry’s Mom and Dad were extremely let down that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his buddies in the second.

His Mother and Father told Larry that even though he may be an adolescent, he has to realize fairly swiftly that drinking is the path to pain, failure, ill health, and financial problems.

It was plain to see that his Mom and Dad were absolutely in concurrence 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 talk with his Mother and Father, Larry in the end agreed to see Miss Johns the next school day. So Larry phoned the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johns the next day during his fifth period class.

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

When Larry went to see Miss Johns, she promptly looked at all of the alcohol-related issues Larry had gotten into and asked him if he comprehended why his recent alcohol-related activities gave the school administrators room for alarm.

Quite truthfully, Larry wondered why the principal suggested that he see a school therapist. As he expressed to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional therapist about his drinking behavior? Due to the fact that almost all of his buddies drink as much if not more than he does, drinking really shouldn’t be such a big deal. Stated more forcefully, if just about everybody is drinking, why is this such a big thing?

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 the seventh grade.

Miss Johns informed Larry that while his friends may indeed drink as much as he does and that they may be an unhealthy 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 classmates. What is more, Miss Johns also underscored 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 because of his alcohol related issues. Finally, Miss Johns stressed the fact that because of his drinking situation, Larry is getting into a harmful cycle of abusive drinking that can in time wreck his hopes, dreams and aspirations.

In a word, Larry’s involvement with youth alcohol abuse was starting to impede his ability to function as an accountable young man. As verbalized by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your buddies drink wine coolers, hard liquor, beer, or wine does not mean that it is the correct behavior for you.”

Larry Learns That At the End of the Day He Must Be Accountable For Himself In Order to Keep Away From Unhealthy, Damaging, Destructive, and Dangerous Situations In the Foreseeable Future

Miss Johns told Larry that one’s friends can unquestionably influence an individual in an unhealthy manner, but that the individual herself or himself has to in time take responsibility for herself or himself in order to prevent damaging, destructive, dangerous, and unhealthy situations in the future.

Fortunately, Miss Johns was very well equipped for her appointment with Larry. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that outlined different drinking facts and statistics that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Larry a lot of data that applied especially to adolescents.

As an illustration, Miss Johns underscored the difference between alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse and informed Larry that drinkers who continue to drink in an excessive manner more often than not become alcohol dependent.

Miss Johns also went over 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 Conveys Several Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Statistics and Facts

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

1. According to one study, almost 11% of 8th-graders, 22% of 10th-graders, and 27% of 12th-graders articulated that they involved themselves in hazardous drinking.

2. Between 48% and 64% of the people who pass away in fires have blood alcohol levels showing intoxication.

3. Pre-teens who are drinking alcohol by 7th grade are more probable to manifest delinquent behavior, substance abuse, and academic problems in both high school and junior high school.

4. In the U.S., 33% of all suicides, and 25% of all emergency room admissions are related to alcohol.

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

6. In the U.S., more than 40 percent of the people who begin drinking before the age of 13 will develop alcohol abuse or alcoholism at some time in their lives.

7. In the United States, by the time they are high school seniors, 80% of teens have drank alcohol and 62% have been inebriated.

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

Larry Receives A Meaningful Wake Up Call About the Long Term and the Short Term Outcomes of Teen Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse

After Miss Johns conveyed the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was obvious that what Miss Johns revealed to Larry was a realization for him. Why? Because for the first time in his young life, someone not only made the effort to go over the short term and the long term outcomes of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse, but she also took the time to demonstrate what she was saying with alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics and facts that related to everybody in general, and principally to today’s youth.

Definitely, it was almost as if a light went on and Larry without pause understood why he should not be engaging in hazardous and abusive drinking with or without his pals anymore. Larry thanked Miss Johns for her concern and for the information she presented.

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

Larry thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical exam and to go through a thorough assessment of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism rehab program right away.

• Personal Finance 101 J Money at Budgets Are Sexy wrote yesterday about why schools teach about the stock market. It got me thinking about my personal finance education. During my senior year of high school, one of the school administrators came into our class and began to talk about finances. I didn't realize......
• Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder User Reviews Send this to a friend Golf Buddy Tour GPS Range Finder Manufacturer: GolfBuddy GPS Rangefinder Customer Rating: List Price: $459.99 Sale Price: $335.15 Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Now Product Description Take the guesswork out of your golf game with the GolfBuddy Tour, a......
• Study Skills For High School Teaching study skills to high school students can pose a significant challenge. High school students often feel that they have heard everything before, but here's a new twist. Students have grown up hearing that study techniques vary from person to person, so they should select techniques that work best......
• Reader Highlight with Kati of Katidom Keira: You pick up the phone and on the other end is your all time favorite romance author offering to write you a story just the way you want it – setting, names, character types, time period, genre, etc. Which author is it and what are you going to have......
• Get Your Accounting Degree Online One of the recurring stories of the last half-century of the American experience is the outsourcing of the middle class.  Jobs, particularly in manufacturing, have been outsourced or outright eliminated as cheaper labor from overseas has replaced "American made" in our stores and our lives. In the process, the......