Signs Of Adolescent Alcohol Abuse
You may know that there are some teenagers that drink, and perhaps even do drugs. You know this because you see it on the news and may have read stories about these things online. However, the hardest thing to accept is that your teenager might be one of those children.
No matter what type of child you have, there is always a danger of adolescent alcohol abuse. No matter how smart, popular, or moral you think your teenager is, they are always going to be at risk for trying something they know they should not be doing.
Adolescent alcohol abuse usually starts out with a teenager trying a drink because their friends are doing it. It can be the influence of someone older, but that is not always the case. Some teens try it, but do not touch it again until they are of age to drink. Others use it once in a while, but they don’t feel the need to do it all of the time. Another segment will end up with adolescent alcohol abuse issues because they have problems and an addictive personality.
Those that develop adolescent alcohol abuse are usually looking for a way to deal with problems. These could be the average problems that all teens face, and others have deeper issues. If they discover that alcohol can dull some of the pain, they want to do it more and more often. They can then have the same problems that an adult alcohol has, and those could also make them move on to other things like drugs. They are also going to do things while drunk that they may not normally do. Alcohol alters the brain, so they are not thinking as the normally would.
Some of the signs of adolescent alcohol abuse are the same as those you would see in adults. Your teen may be coming home later and later, and they avoid standing near you so you can not smell the alcohol on them. They may have a harder time waking up in the morning, and they can be very secretive about where they are going and even with who they are hanging out. Probably the most notable of the signs of adolescent alcohol abuse is a shift in normal behavior and personality. It might be something else, but alcoholism should be considered.
Other signs can be more subtle, but you may notice a few of them. Your teenager may be getting into trouble in school, or you may notice that they are withdrawing from you. If they have always been moody, you may notice that they are even more so. When things do not seem to make sense, it might not be adolescent alcohol abuse, but it is usually something serious that needs your attention. The teenage years are hard, and teens can fall into things they can not control. That is why you have to be the parents, even when it is one of the hardest things you have to do.
