Jesse had an exceedingly hard time maintaining a job. To be sure, due to his indolence and lack of motivation, he was jobless far more regularly than he was in work. And when he did land a job, he had a particularly hard time getting to work when his shift began, he characteristically got less than passing performance reviews, and he called off sick so often that he almost always got fired a few weeks after he began working. To no one’s surprise, one of the results of Jesse’s awful work record was the fact that he was virtually without a dime on a day-to-day basis.

In spite of Jesse’s less than great work history and financial misconduct, on the other hand, somehow he made it a point to drink in an abusive and irresponsible manner on an everyday basis.

So it came as no big shock when Jesse got a second DWI. When he went before the court, the judge explained to Jesse that his alcohol-related behavior was appalling and, consequently, he was going to sentence Jesse to spend nine months in the city jail.

Time In Jail To Reflect On The Harmful Consequences of Excessive Drinking

During his time in the municipal jail, Jesse was expected to learn more about alcohol facts, about the destructive results of irresponsible and excessive drinking, and he was expected to get alcohol counseling. The magistrate stressed the fact that unless Jesse gets professional alcohol treatment and discovers how to live a life of sobriety, he will quite possibly be spending a considerable amount of time placed behind bars.

Jesse said that he understood what the judge was pronouncing but he still proclaimed that placement in the city jail was not the right sentence. The magistrate saw things from an entirely different vantage point and declared that it was his job to keep alcohol addicted people off the streets who drive under the influence and who get multiple DWIs. To substantiate this statement, the magistrate listed some respected, extensively researched alcohol statistics that underscored some of the disruptive effects that are associated with hazardous and excessive drinking.

Although Jesse grasped the fact that he drank in a hazardous and abusive manner, he never believed that he was an alcohol addicted individual. So it was a real bombshell when Jesse started suffering from symptoms of withdrawal just about four-and-a-half hours after getting incarcerated.

To monitor his alcohol withdrawals in a safe and secure manner, Jesse was transferred to a drug and alcohol rehab center for alcohol detox and then returned to the county jail. While behind bars Jesse undertook alcohol treatment but due to the fact that he received this rehabilitation as something that was imposed upon him, he was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his excessive drinking.

When his time behind bars was over, the magistrate without indecision told Jesse that he would be under careful observation and would be mandated to take random blood alcohol tests.

Jessie’s Excessive and Hazardous Drinking Stops Him From Living in a Productive and Mature Manner

After hearing how Jesse was unsuccessful in taking ownership of his drinking situation and how he unenthusiastically followed the therapy procedures while in jail, the magistrate knew that it was essentially a matter of time before he would be seeing Jesse once again in court about his excessive drinking behavior. As the judge thought about Jesse’s situation, he couldn’t help but think about how some individuals never ”get it” and discover how to live in a responsible manner.

Larry was a seventeen year old high school junior who was manifesting several alcohol-related problems at school. For that reason, the principal informed him that he had to see Miss Johns, the school counselor, before he would be permitted to return to class.

Later that afternoon when Larry went home after school, he had to go over his school suspension with his parents. His parents were “fairly conventional” and informed Larry that dropping out of school was not a doable educational plan of action. 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 may hurt his educational attainment for the rest of his adult life. Furthermore, Larry’s Mom and Dad were quite displeased that he was drinking in the first place and drinking with his pals in the second.

His parents explained to Larry that even though he may be young, he needs to comprehend fairly rapidly that drinking is the route to failure, pain, financial problems, and ill health.

It was plain to see that his Mom and Dad were absolutely in concurrence with Larry’s principal and explained to Larry that he had to see Miss Johns, the school psychologist. After his talk with his Mom and Dad, Larry at long last agreed to see Miss Johns the next school day. So Larry phoned the school and made an appointment to see Miss Johns the next morning before school.

The Therapist Asks Larry if He Understands Why His Recent Alcohol-Related Activities Caused Quite a Bit of Apprehension By the School Administrators

When Larry went to see Miss Johns, she instantly analyzed all of the alcohol-related problems Larry had gotten into and asked him if he knew why his recent alcohol-related activities were such a cause for concern.

Quite honestly, Larry was unsure why the principal informed him that he had to see a school counselor. As he stated to Miss Johns, why should he see a professional counselor about his drinking circumstances? In view of the fact that virtually all of his peers drink the same amount that he does, in essence, drinking shouldn’t be such a big issue. Stated another way, if almost everybody is drinking, why is this such a major concern?

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

Miss Johns told Larry that while his classmates may in fact drink more than he does and that they may be a negative influence on him, the facts are that he is the one who is getting discharged from school due to alcohol-related absenteeism, fighting, and delinquency, not his friends. What is more, Miss Johns also underlined the fact that Larry, and not his peers, is the one who is failing and who is missing almost two days of class per week because of his alcohol related problems. Finally, Miss Johns stressed the fact that due to his drinking circumstances, Larry is getting into a negative cycle of alcohol abuse that can finally wreck his hopes, dreams and aspirations.

In a word, Larry’s involvement with adolescent alcohol abuse was beginning to impede his ability to conduct himself like a responsible young man. As stated by Miss Johns, “Just because most of your friends drink wine coolers, wine, hard liquor, or beer does not mean that it is the best thing in the world for you.”

Larry Learns That Ultimately He Must Take Responsibility For Himself In Order to Steer Clear of Dangerous, Destructive, Damaging, and Unhealthy Consequences Down the Road

Miss Johns explained to Larry that one’s friends can undeniably influence an individual in a negative way, but that the person herself or himself has to in due course take responsibility for herself or himself in order to stay away from unhealthy, dangerous, damaging, and destructive consequences in the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Miss Johns was extremely well equipped for her scheduled meeting with Larry. She showed him research studies and reports she had underlined that listed different drinking facts and statistics that targeted most people in general. Then she showed Larry quite a bit of data that applied especially to teens.

For instance, Miss Johns emphasized the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction and explained to Larry that individuals who continue to drink in a hazardous manner continually become alcoholic.

Miss Johns also discussed 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 Therapist Presents Several Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency Facts and Statistics

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

1. Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse cost the U.S. an estimated $220 billion in 2005. This dollar amount was more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion.

2. More than one-half of U.S. adults have a close relative or family member that has or has had alcoholism.

3. More than 75% of female victims of nonfatal, domestic violence stated that their assailant had been using drugs or drinking.

4. In the U.S. on an annual basis, more than one third of pedestrians killed by cars were legally intoxicated.

5. One national research study discovered that students are less likely to drink alcohol if they are socially accepted by individuals at school and believe that teachers treat students in a fair manner.

6. Research indicates that youth who use alcohol may remember 10 percent less of what they have learned than teens who don’t drink.

7. Around ten to twenty percent of the individuals who drink heavily ultimately develop cirrhosis of the liver (i.e., a scarring of the liver that can be fatal).

8. Up to forty percent of the U.S. industrial fatalities and 47 percent of industrial injuries are related to alcohol abuse or alcoholism.

Larry Receives An Important Wake Up Call About the Short Term and the Long Term Consequences of Youth Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependency

After Miss Johns listed the aforementioned alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse facts and statistics, it was plain to see 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 explain the short term and the long term consequences of alcoholism and alcohol abuse, but she also made the effort to substantiate what she was saying with alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse statistics and facts that related to everyone, and especially to teenagers.

Without a doubt, it was almost as if a light went on and Larry at once comprehended why he should not be engaging in hazardous and abusive drinking with or without his peers any longer. Larry thanked Miss Johns for her concern and for the material she presented.

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

Larry thought about this for a minute and then agreed to get an extensive physical examination and to go through a thorough assessment of his drinking circumstances so that he could start an alcohol abuse or alcoholism treatment program immediately.

Teresa was a thirty-eight-year-old interior designer who realized that she had a drinking problem. As an illustration, within the past five months she has felt the need to have more than a few drinks before going to work, a week ago she tested positive for a urine alcohol test where she works, two weeks ago she got stopped by the state highway patrol for a DWI, and finally, for the past four months she has started to fail to remember what she says and does when she goes out drinking.

Like huge numbers of other individuals, Teresa’s alcohol involvement began slowly and remained at this pace for quite a long period of time because at times she engaged in intermittent social drinking. In truth, for nearly six months, every time she went out to drink, she made sure to drink in moderation. Something about her drinking situation, nonetheless, seemed to drastically change when she got divorced.

So She Can Come to Terms With the Breakup of Her Husband In a less Painful manner, Teresa Came to the Conclusion That She Will Begin Going Out More Repeatedly With Some of Her Friends Who Love to ”Get Down” and Drink

Teresa got very dejected about the loss of her husband, and as a way to refrain from dwelling on her disheartening emotions she determined that she would begin associating more often with some of her friends who love to have fun drinking.

Quite candidly, Teresa concluded that having fun nearly every day by drinking with her buddies would help her overcome the loss of her husband in a less wearisome manner.

Teresa’s Drinking Escalates Greatly the More Often She Goes to Private Parties, Family Get-Togethers, Happy Hours, Dinner Dates, and Sporting Events With Her Buddies

It didn’t take very long, nevertheless, before her drinking increased to a significant extent the more habitually she went to and drank at private parties, dinner dates, happy hours, sporting events, and family get-togethers with her buddies. Not only this, but the fact that her drinking buddies were all much younger than she was and therefore able to drink more irresponsibly was one of the reasons why she didn’t focus more on her increased drinking. To be brief, she was having lots of fun drinking just like everyone else in her group of buddies without giving much thought to the unhealthy results of her abusive and excessive drinking.

Yet somewhere in the recesses of her mind she realized that she probably needed alcohol rehab but sidestepped the thought as much as humanly possible.

Teresa Gets a Physical Exam, Acknowledges Her Irresponsible to Her Physician, and Owns Up to the Truth About Her Melancholy

One morning during her six-month physical, her healthcare professional asked her if she drank alcohol. Not wanting to lie to her physician, Teresa owned up to the fact that she regularly drinks more than she should. If truth be told, she said that she frequently drinks in an abusive manner. Then Teresa informed her healthcare professional about her general state of gloom. More explicitly, she articulated that shattered relationships commonly initiated a depressing sequence of events characterized by increased drinking which further resulted in more dismal feelings that, in turn, led to more drinking. And this is exactly what happened when her husband and she got divorced two years ago.

When her healthcare professional heard this, he informed Teresa that according to various facts and statistics on alcoholism he has been researching, alcoholism and depression routinely take place in the same person. He then informed her that some of the alcohol statistics, research investigations, and facts he has been looking into also point out that individuals who drink excessively and who also experience depression need to get treatment for both medical circumstances.

Teresa’s Physician Schedules an Appointment for a Psychological Assessment and For an Alcohol Dependency and Alcohol Abuse Evaluation

Teresa’s healthcare professional then told her the following: “I am not trying to make a spur-of-the-moment diagnosis, but with your medical situation we may be facing two separate concerns. As a consequence, I think we need to schedule an appointment for you to get an alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse evaluation from my partner, Dr. Poulos, who is a substance abuse and chemical dependency specialist. Whether your drinking circumstance is more linked to alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction is unknown at this time, but I believe that further assessment is justifiable. Then I think we probably should make an appointment for you to get a psychological evaluation from another one of my partners, Dr. Castro, who is a counseling psychologist. I want to get a deeper understanding about your sadness and see how much your depression and drinking are intertwined.” Teresa showed her approval of her doctor’s plan of attack and thanked him for his help. Now all she had to do was to try to lessen her drinking and wait for her appointments.