Although drinking under the age of 21 is illegal, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the average age of first use of alcohol among adolescents is 14. Alcoholism in teenagers can cause potentially lasting damage. According to a study published in the February 2000 Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research journal, researchers have found that alcoholism in teenagers can impair brain function. If you are worried that a teenager you know may be suffering from alcohol dependency or is abusing alcohol, you should contact a licensed mental health care provider or substance abuse professional.
Behavioral Changes
Changes in behavior that may indicate that your son or daughter has a problem with alcohol include staying out past curfew, coming home smelling of alcohol, lying and stealing. Cutting classes and a sharp and rapid decrease in academic performance may be signs of alcohol dependency. According to the Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base, other signs may be hanging out with a different crowd than usual, not introducing new friends at home or dropping out of activities they previously enjoyed, such as after-school sports or clubs.
Emotional Changes
Emotional changes that may be a sign that your child has a problem with alcohol include sudden mood swings, irritability, irrational or intense anger or crying fits. According to the Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base, it is important that you rule out other possible causes for these behaviors, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Teenagers who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder often actually use drugs or alcohol as a way to self-medicate and to take the edge off their symptoms.
Physical Changes
Your son or daughter may have a noticeable change in their sleeping or eating patterns. You can generally spot these signs the morning after a binge. According to the Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base, your son or daughter may sleep 12 hours or more and wake up looking like a zombie. Although teenagers generally require more sleep, they may have an alcohol problem if you notice extreme or unusual patterns such as waking up at 2 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon after a big party the night before. They may exhibit the classic physical signs of a hangover such as shaking or vomiting. They may avoid foods they previously enjoyed, or they may go on a "morning after" eating binge, usually involving fatty, fried or processed foods.
