Could your teenager be an alcoholic? Absolutely, alcoholism in teenagers is a real problem that is often ignored by parents. Teens today drink. In fact nearly 60% of all teenagers today have admitted to drinking. Can these same teens let their drinking get out of control? Yes they can, in fact the younger teens start drinking, the higher the chances of developing alcoholism they have. Many of us are under the assumption that alcoholism is an "adult disease". Many alcoholics started drinking heavily in college or even in high school.
Why do teens drink? There are many reasons and most of them are not that smart. Teens drink to fit in. This is perhaps the number one reason for teenage drinking. Teens want to fit in with other teens. Peer Pressure is tough. Remember when you were a teen and how important it was to fit in? Another reason why teens drink is that they like the way it makes them feel. We all know that alcohol for some of us makes us more relaxed and can put us in a euphoric state. Can you imagine being a teenager and having that feeling?
Another reason why teens may drink often is because they become addicted to it easier than an adult would. This is because the regions of the brain that control impulse and motivation have yet to fully formed. It is much easier for them to become dependent on alcohol especially when they can not control it yet. Add that to the fact that the more teens binge drink, the more alcohol it is going to take them to experience the same feeling and you have a recipe for disaster. The more alcohol they drink, the more their body is going to crave it and then the disease begin. Most binge drinkers out there today are teenagers and more than half of those binge drinkers go to alcohol abuse and eventually become alcoholics. Even more shocking is the fact that it can take a teenager les than a year to reach the stage of an alcoholic that suffers from delirium tremors and blackouts. For adults, to reach this point in their alcoholism can take years.
So what can we as parents do to help keep our teen on the right path? My first instinct is to never let my kids leave the house. If they are kept in the house they will not be exposed to the opportunities to take that first drink. Alas, though this is not only irrational thinking it is also impossible to do. What we as parents can do, is be on the look out for warning signs.
For starters we as parents can stop writing off slurred speech and alcohol related fights as "normal teenage behavior". I know that most teens do experiment with alcohol and even get drunk, I know I did it as a teen. However the first time I came home drunk I was given what my parent "one free pass". My first offensive was passed off as normal teen behavior. However it was made clear to me that if I ever did it again, there would be a heavy price to pay. If your child is continually coming home drunk, that is not normal teenage behavior.
Take notice of where you teens are hanging out. If they are hanging out at homes where there are no parents and with kids who have a bad reputation, chances are they are up to no good. You can tell when they come home if they have been drinking also. Their breath always smells like mouthwash and they may always have bloodshot eyes.
Our teenagers today are our future. It is our job as parents is to protect that future.
Looking for more valuable information on the warning signs of alcoholism? Try visiting http://www.alcoholabusehelpguide.com for more alcohol addiction recovery help that will save my loved one from alcoholism.
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