1. Pay Attention to Behavior at Home
One of the best ways to spot teenage alcohol abuse is to observe their behavior at home. Some major signs that your teen may be abusing alcohol includes: consistently missing curfew, failing to do their chores, acting disrespectful towards family members and stealing money. Parents should take note that teen alcohol abuse could be a culprit if valuables and/or money start disappearing from the home.
Pay attention to your child's diet as well. Teens who abuse alcohol tend to eat more or less than normal. The sleeping habits of a teen abusing alcohol may change as well. If your teen locks herself in her room, refuses to socialize with the family and takes a long time to answer her locked bedroom door, you should take some time to investigate whether the behavior is a sign of teen alcohol abuse.
2. Know What's Going on at School
Acting out at school is another characteristic of teen alcohol abuse. Failing to do homework, respect authority figures, follow rules, go to school or partake in their usual after school activities and hobbies are all signs that a teen could be abusing alcohol. If a teenager was once active in school and received good grades, yet now acts indifferent about bad grades and school in general, they are displaying signs of possible alcohol abuse. Stay involved in your teen's school life and keep in contact with teachers and the parents of classmates so you'll be able to notice changes early on.
3. Take a Look at Finances
Teens are typically looking for ways to get money for trips to the mall, pizza and video games. But if your teen has a sudden interest in money and is spending a lot or selling their things, it is possible that the money is being used to support an alcohol problem.
4. Analyze Look and Attitude
Teens who begin abusing alcohol tend to undergo noticeable changes in their look and behavior. Their style of clothes can change and they can also get lazy with hygiene. Lying about their whereabouts or activities, using bad or abusive language towards family, friends and authority figures and angry outbursts are all signs of teen alcohol abuse. Some other changes that may hint to teen alcohol abuse include: depression, anxiety, bad memory and mood swings.
5. New Friends
We all know the old saying: Birds of a feather, flock together. If you notice that your child has a new set of friends and you haven't met any of them, take notice. Often, when a child is rebelling, he will alienate himself from his usual friends because they may not like the new extracurricular activities he has taken up, like drinking. You should be especially suspicious if your child's lifelong friends suddenly become her arch enemies for no obvious reason.
