Teens and Alcohol Abuse

Helene: Hi! My name is Helene from Engelwood, California, and I would like to ask, how do I identify if my teen has a drinking problem?

Trey Causey: Helene, this is a concern that a lot of parents might have. There is no easy answer to these questions because a lot of these signs we might see maybe accounted for by other factors. But some things you can look for might include changes in mood, anger outburst or more depression, changes in behaviors. For instance, decreased performance in school, lack of interest in things they used to enjoy, or may be changes in peer groups.

Also you could see signs of intoxication itself, slurred speech, maybe balance problems, there might be other cognitive changes like memory problems. These are some of the signs that might be indicative that there is an alcohol problem. If you see any of these signs in your teen it would be useful to talk to your teen’s physician and have them investigate the problems and get professional help, and then they would have suggestions as to where you should go from there.


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