Does my Teenager Drink?

Parents who discover that their teenager is drinking or using drugs are being encouraged not to over-react, but to carefully assess the entire situation before taking action that could have long-term damaging effects. Though it can be true that teens who exhibited symptoms of drinking problems were more likely to develop serious drinking problems, other substance abuse, and mental disorders in early adulthood, it shouldn’t be assumed that your teen has a serious problem. The best thing for most parents to do is to simply talk to your children. Taking a few minutes to have a serious, informed discussion about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse could be all it takes to avoid a great deal of heartache and confusion for the family. It is very common for teens to experiment with alcohol, and unless there are serious warning signs, it’s most likely just an experience for them. Think back on your own life and you’ll probably realize that you yourself did some experimenting and turned out fine.

But for those parents who aren’t sure how asses their situation, here are some tell tale signs that your teenager might have a drinking problem:

• School work has declined; grades suddenly slipping or dropping dramatically
• Missing school
• Mood changes
• Dropping out of usual activities
• Physical appearance changing
• Friends suddenly change; doesn’t introduce new friends
• Money or valuables missing from parents’ purse, from home
• Secretive behavior
• Hostile, aggressive outbursts
• Seems to have “lost” motivation
• Forgetfulness
• Unusual sleeping habits
• Depressed
• Anxious

Parents who feel that their teenager just isn’t “right” should try and seek some professional help. Alcohol treatment can include behavioral therapy (such as counseling, cognitive therapy, or psychotherapy), medications, or their combination. Behavioral therapies offer people strategies for coping with their alcohol cravings, teach them ways to avoid alcohol and prevent relapse, and help them deal with relapse if it occurs. The best programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the needs of the individual patient, which are shaped by such issues as age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy, parenting, housing, and employment, as well as physical and sexual abuse. Seabrook offers these programs to enable you and your teenager to seek the most successful recovery for alcohol treatment. Seabrook is an internationally recognized private and exclusive inpatient drug rehab and alcoholism detox treatment center located in Bridgeton, New Jersey (NJ). Let the professionals at Seabrook help your teenager get on the road to recovery today.