Treating the Signs, Causes, & Effects of Teen Alcohol Abuse

If your child is regularly drinking on their own or drinking during the day it could be they’re struggling to cope with a serious underlying issue. While many teens will try alcohol at some point out of curiosity or as an act of rebellion or defiance, there is no single reason why some decide to drink. The more you understand about potential reasons for underage alcohol use, though, the easier it will be to talk to your child about the dangers and identify any red flags in their behavior. If studies conducted with laboratory animals are an indication, heavy alcohol consumption in adolescents may delay puberty, slow bone growth, and result in weaker bones. Along with the factors listed above, there are a number of psychosocial factors that increase the risk of underage youth making a decision to begin early-onset alcohol consumption. Behavior patterns in early childhood have also be found to be predictors of later drinking problems.

Teenagers often feel invincible—that nothing bad will ever happen to them—so preaching about the long-term health dangers of underage drinking may fail to discourage them from using alcohol. Instead, talk to your teen about the effects drinking can have on their appearance—bad breath, bad skin, and weight gain from all the empty calories and carbs. You can also talk about how drinking makes people do embarrassing things, like peeing themselves or throwing up. So, if drinking is exclusively for adults only, that’s what they’ll do. They may also copy your own drinking habits to establish their maturity.

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Attempting to dive straight in to a discussion about drinking may be a quick way to trigger an unpleasant fight. A better tactic is to find an area of common ground, such as sports or movies. Once you’re able to peacefully discuss a common interest, it may be easier to get your teen talking about the more sensitive issue of alcohol use. It’s normal for parents to worry about their children using alcohol. But there are ways to help your teen cope with the pressures to drink and make better choices. Alcohol & Your Health provides research-based information on drinking and its impact.

Teens try alcohol for a variety of reasons – to exert independence, to feel more carefree or escape from stress, peer pressure and even boredom. Many tend to do so without fully recognizing alcohol’s negative effects sober house or health risks. Calmly explain the dangers of underage drinking, helping them understand that the risks aren’t worth it. When your child knows you truly care, they’ll be more likely to listen and take your advice.

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Encourage them to come to you anytime they need perspective and support. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. Adding to the concerns are studies providing scientific evidence that alcohol significantly impairs learning and memory in teens. Calls to the number on this page will be answered or returned the treatment provider listed below, which is a paid advertiser.

When others around them start drinking, teens may feel they also need to partake to become a part of the crowd. People who have become chronic alcohol abusers may go through alcohol withdrawal syndrome if they suddenly cut back or stop drinking. This potentially-fatal condition should always be performed under the careful guidance of medical personal. “Just because you have these risk factors does not mean that you are going to become an alcoholic,” Dr. Wang said. But knowing about some of the risk factors may help with prevention; adolescents should get the help they need when they are struggling. “If kids are showing conduct problems and/or depression, we know there are treatments available to help kids alleviate the distress in their own lives,” which in turn may help to prevent problems further ahead.

Drinking and School

Also 17% of high school seniors, 10% of 10th graders and 5% of 8th graders report binge drinking in the past two weeks. There are many reasons why some adolescents begin a pattern of alcohol abuse and develop alcohol use disorders while others do not. For teenagers, binge drinking can be defined as consuming four or more drinks during a two-hour period for girls and five or more drinks for boys. Since the majority of teen drinking occurs as binge drinking, it appears that teenagers are not simply experimenting with a few sips of alcohol; instead, they are consuming multiple alcoholic beverages and becoming intoxicated. Armed with scientific findings on teenage drinking and brain development, teachers, parents, and others who influence and work with adolescents may find better strategies for discouraging alcohol use. For example, underage drinking in Europe, where consuming wine and other alcoholic beverages is permitted at younger ages than in the U.S. and assumed to be more ingrained in the culture, is just as dangerous as it is in the U.S.

• Kids should also have a chance to discuss how they feel, as well as ask any questions they may have.
• Some of the warning signs listed above can also be signs of other problems.
• In a study by the CDC, one out of 10 high school students surveyed admitted to driving under the influence at least once within the past 30 days.
• Moreover, research indicates that the earlier a person starts drinking, the more likely that person will develop serious problems with alcohol or drug addiction later in life.

Sharing these facts will help balance out the confusing messages teens may hear that suggest drinking is a rite of passage—or something that all teens do at some point. Parents and caregivers can help teens understand that if they make a healthy choice to avoid alcohol, they won’t be the only ones. Between 11 and 18 years of age, young people are especially open to the influence of people around them. They generally focus on what kids their own age do and say, but family members, the media and the surrounding community matter, too. If everyone they admire and trust seems to be drinking, kids may feel pressured to try it. The best time to begin talking with your teen about drugs and alcohol is now.