August 25th, 2009 at 01:54pm
Under General
Larry was a seventeen year old high school senior who was exhibiting several alcohol-related difficulties at school. For that reason, the principal explained to him that he had to see Miss Johns, the school therapist, before he would be allowed to come back to class.
Later that afternoon when Larry went home after school, he had to explain his school discharge to his Mother and Father. His parents were “fairly old-style” and explained to Larry that getting kicked out of school was not a practical educational game plan. They explained to Larry that failing to graduate from high school would more likely than not be like a lead weight around his legs that could conceivably harm his educational aspirations for the remainder of his adult life. Moreover, Larry’s Mother and Father were very saddened that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his buddies in the second.
His parents explained to Larry that even though he may be young, he has to realize fairly rapidly that drinking is the route to pain, financial problems, failure, and ill health.
It was evident that his Mother and Father were absolutely in accord with Larry’s principal and explained to Larry that he needs to see Miss Johns, the school therapist. After his chat with his parents, Larry eventually agreed to see Miss Johns the next school day. So Larry called the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johns the next day during his second period class.
The Therapist Asks Larry if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Actions Were Such a Cause For Concern By the School Administrators
When Larry got to his scheduled appointment with Miss Johns, she immediately surveyed all of the alcohol-related problems Larry had experienced and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related behavior made the school administrators uneasy.
Quite candidly, Larry was unsure why the principal explained to him that he had to see a school psychologist. As he expressed to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional psychologist about his drinking circumstances? In view of the fact that nearly all of his friends drink as much if not more than he does, fundamentally, drinking shouldn’t be such a big deal. Stated differently, if just about everyone is drinking, why is this such a big thing?
Miss Johns asked Larry when he started to drink alcoholic beverages. He said that some of his older friends introduced him to drinking beer when he was twelve or thirteen years old and in the seventh grade.
Miss Johns explained to Larry that while his peers may indeed drink as much as he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting suspended from school due to alcohol-related delinquency, absenteeism, and fighting, not his pals. In addition, Miss Johns also stressed the fact that Larry, and not his buddies, is the one who is failing and who is missing at least one day of class per week due to his alcohol related problems. Lastly, Miss Johns stressed the fact that because of his drinking situation, Larry is getting into a negative cycle of excessive drinking that can eventually destroy his dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
In short, Larry’s involvement with teen alcohol abuse was starting to thwart his ability to conduct himself like an accountable young man. As pronounced by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your classmates drink beer, hard liquor, wine, or wine coolers does not mean that it is the correct behavior for you.”
Larry Learns That Eventually He Must Claim Responsibility For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Destructive, Unhealthy, Dangerous, and Damaging Consequences In the Future
Miss Johns informed Larry that one’s buddies can unquestionably influence a person in a negative manner, but that the individual herself or himself has to in the end claim responsibility for himself or herself in order to steer clear of dangerous, destructive, unhealthy, and damaging effects down the road.
Fortunately, Miss Johns was well equipped for her scheduled meeting with Larry. She showed him reports and research studies she had highlighted that summarized diverse drinking facts and statistics that applied to most people in general. Then she showed Larry quite a lot of data that applied especially to teenagers.
For example, Miss Johns explained the difference between alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse and told Larry that drinkers who continue to drink in an excessive manner habitually become alcohol dependent.
Miss Johns also articulated the concept of binge drinking that she defined as follows: ingesting five or more drinks in one sitting for males and consuming four or more drinks in one sitting for females.
The Therapist Conveys Several Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Statistics and Facts
Then Miss Johns listed the following eight alcoholism facts and alcohol abuse statistics:
1. As demonstrated by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, there are 105,000 yearly alcohol-related deaths in the United States because of drunk drivers and related medical conditions, injuries, or diseases.
2. Nearly one-fourth of all U.S. individuals who are admitted to general hospitals have drinking problems or are undiagnosed people who are addicted to alcohol who are being treated for the results of their irresponsible drinking.
3. Alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse are the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S..
4. More than 7 percent of the population that is 18 years old and older — almost 13.8 million Americans — has drinking problems, including 8.1 million individuals who suffer from alcoholism.
5. 500,000 Americans who are addicted to alcohol are between the ages of 9 and 12.
6. As revealed by one U.S. research study of 18 to 24 year-old current drinkers who did not complete high school, roughly 60 percent started to drink before the age of 16.
7. Currently, around 14 million Americans, 1 in every 13 adults, are addicted to alcohol or are alcohol abusers.
8. As revealed by the research literature, non-alcoholic members of alcoholic’s families use ten times as much sick leave as families who do not display alcohol dependency or alcohol abuse.
Larry Receives A Much Needed Wake Up Call About the Long Term and the Short Term Effects of Youth Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
After Miss Johns articulated the aforementioned alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency statistics and facts, it was plain to see that what Miss Johns made known 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 go over the short term and the long term consequences of alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to authenticate what she was saying with alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse facts and statistics that related to people in general, and chiefly to underage drinkers.
Indeed, 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 classmates any longer. Larry thanked Miss Johns for her concern and for the material she reviewed.
Miss Johns then asked Larry how he felt about getting a physical examination and an alcohol evaluation 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 complete physical examination and to go through a complete appraisal of his drinking situation so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction rehabilitation program right away.
By writer
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:57am
Under General
Larry is a seventeen-year-old teenager who has eventually decided to go and see his doctor about his abusive and hazardous drinking. At first, Larry thought he would be able to merely go online, look for some essential alcohol info, and come to a decision whether or not he was addicted to alcohol.
Not surprisingly, he found several websites that outlined some of the common alcoholism symptoms. That’s the positive news. The less than positive news, sorry to say, was that Larry exhibited a host of these alcoholism symptoms.
Symptoms of Alcoholism: Some Illustrations
For example, Larry has been drinking significantly more than customary and he has started to have more impassioned spats with his girlfriend. Moreover, for the first time in his life he has been going through sleeping problems. Besides this, Larry repeatedly has felt depressed and on a growing basis he has been demonstrating less than usual concentration at school. Additionally, he has felt highly stressed and more jumpy on a regular basis and for the past three or four months he has shown signs of cloudy thinking while at school. In view of the fact that Larry has been displaying all of these symptoms, he was rightly uneasy about his excessive and hazardous drinking.
So Larry finally decided to contact his family healthcare practitioner and make an appointment. As it happens, this was hard for Larry because his family doctor was also his parents’ physician. The source of his disquiet was this: at the risk of embarrassing his family, he had to go and announce his excessive and careless drinking behavior to his physician.
When Larry arrived at the family healthcare practitioner’s office, he candidly notified the healthcare professional about the consternation he has about his abusive drinking behavior. When the healthcare practitioner asked what was stimulating this anxiety, Larry said that he had gone on the world wide web and read about dependency on alcohol and especially about alcohol addiction symptoms. He then articulated all of the alcohol dependency symptoms that he plainly thought he has.
An Exhaustive Physical Appraisal and Outpatient Alcohol Rehab
The doctor informed Larry that it was intelligent of him to focus on his drinking difficulties, he gave Larry a complete physical appraisal, and suggested that he talk to his parents about enrolling in an out-patient alcohol treatment center that was supervised by Doctor Harwood, one of his doctor partners who is an alcohol abuse and substance abuse specialist.
Furthermore, when Larry mentioned that he has been feeling depressed to a greater extent, the physician informed Larry that alcoholism and depression often come about in the same individual. Consequently, the physician also suggested that Larry talk to his parents about obtaining therapy to address his depression. In fact, Larry can go to the local mental health clinic and make an appointment with Doctor Thomas, a celebrated clinical psychologist who specializes in treating teenagers.
The Significance of Coming To Grips With Your Drinking Issues
The healthcare practitioner made it a point to tell Larry that he might not inevitably be alcohol dependent, but that he was certainly drinking in a careless manner. The family physician then informed Larry that the reason he suggested alcohol rehab in the first place was because he wanted him to confront his drinking issues, make sure that he prevented them from worsening, and start to live in a more healthy manner, even if it meant that he had to absolutely stop drinking.
In short, by effectively treating his problem drinking, Larry would be able to get his problem drinking under control and stop the negative cycle that could in all probability lead to addiction to alcohol.
Larry clearly did not look forward to facing his parents about his depression and his excessive drinking. And he surely did not want to face the thought of getting admitted into an alcohol rehab facility. And lastly, he was not overjoyed about going to a counseling psychologist about his sense of despair. Regardless of these anxieties, nonetheless, Larry in point of fact experienced some psychological relief for the first time in many months because at last he gave up making excuses for himself and at long last decided to do something productive about his drinking behavior.
By writer
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:57am
Under General
Alcohol abuse statistics show that alcohol abuse among teens is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? Quite a few substance abuse professionals assert that liquor, wine, and beer advertisements produced by the media are a fundamental reason for the proliferation of teen alcohol abuse.
Other substance abuse specialists believe that the increase in adolescent alcohol abuse is due to the toleration and accessibility of wine,liquor, and beer in our society.
Still other alcohol abuse specialists believe that many of our teens engage in injurious drinking due to the increased tension that they undergo.
From a slightly different perspective, since both parents in many families work full or part-time, the lack of parental supervision obviously has to play an important role in the increase in teenage alcohol abuse. And finally, a variety of alcohol addiction consultants articulate that the spread of youth alcohol abuse is due, at least partially, to our laissez-faire society.
Abusive Drinking and Coping Skills
One aspect of adolescent alcohol abuse that appears to be under reported in the substance abuse research literature, in spite of this, is the insufficiency of educational programs that teach adolescents how to further develop their coping skills so that their excessive drinking behavior is notably diminished or eradicated.
Stated another way, science has made obvious the fact that there is an indirect correlation between poor coping skills and excessive drinking. Basically, this means that the poorer the coping skills, the greater the prevalence of alcohol abuse. To the degree that this is a valid assertion, why isn’t coping skills instruction a key part of the academic curriculum in all of our elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools?
A Society That Underscores Youth Coping Skills
Let us create a scenario for the purpose of explanation. Let us imagine a society in which all people are trained how to develop excellent coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including their senior year in high school.
In such a society, when life gets difficult, students who are “coping skills masters” will be able to respond in a healthier and more productive way, as opposed to others who are unsuccessful in their attempts to put their coping skills into practice.
Stated another way, students who display first rate coping skills will be more able to think clearly and exhibit first-class decision making as opposed to adolescents who, because they were unsuccessful in their attempts to implement good coping skills, are drawn to the “quick fix” of excessive drinking.
What would happen in the above “ideal” society, moreover, if adolescents not only obtained top shelf coping skills education but also obtained a first-rate education that stressed the short term and long term negative results associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Emphasizing these drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more advanced coping skills instruction, it is declared, would help students stay away from the noticeable appeal associated with teenage drinking and, consequently, would significantly diminish the destructive drinking behavior displayed by teens in our country.
Teen Hazardous Drinking: Conclusion
There are positively many legitimate reasons why so many of our teenagers drink in an abusive manner. Such a thorny problem demands an all-inclusive and more applicable preventative and educational response by our politicians, parents, educators, and students so that our teens can learn how to cope with life’s difficulties in a more productive and accountable manner instead of resorting to harmful drinking behavior to solve their difficulties.
By writer
August 16th, 2009 at 08:40pm
Under General
When I was a sophomore in high school, I registered for a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not realize that alcohol abuse in reality was a sub division of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for people throughout the world. I also learned quite a bit about alcohol treatment and the different alcohol rehab centers that are commonly available to people who engage in hazardous drinking.
Some of the damaging outcomes related to alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class unquestionably scared me. The ruined lives and countless difficulties experienced by most alcohol dependent individuals made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. That is, I did not want to face the wreckage and devastation that alcohol dependent people almost always experience.
Ponder upon this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old person wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What teenager wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that drinking alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What adolescent wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related issues before he or she becomes twenty-one?
What adolescent wants to encounter alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to quit drinking? Why would a person engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause problems in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after a person has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a young person want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that centers on hazardous drinking?
These issues were so meaningful that I discussed some of them in class during the school year. What was totally incredible to me was the number of students who basically didn’t care about the negative outcomes of excessive drinking that I discussed. It was almost as if they couldn’t be troubled with reality and how these outcomes can demolish their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend something that my grandfather used to emphasize throughout my youth: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink.
By writer