I know that alcohol has become very popular among teens but when do you know that your child may have a problem? My son is 18 and he and his friends have been drinking for over a year now. Sometimes, they would start at our home and they would continue when they go out. In the morning, his room smells real bad and whenever I try to communicate on the alcohol problem, he shuts me out. I mean, I have been drinking as well but I started at the age of 21 and didn’t drink as much. Are things different today? Is there a way to test and determine alcohol abuse? Thanks
Hi! I understand where your concern is coming from and this is really difficult to know because everybody drinks today. Kids start at 16 and earlier and continue for years later. If you have a family history of alcoholics, then your son may be at increased risk of developing alcohol problems. You should watch for his behaviour. If he suddenly looses interest in school, every day activities, starts steeling booze from your home, has mood swings, discipline problems, etc, then you may think he has alcohol problems. However, most of the symptoms I mentioned could also be associated with his age and coping with his surrounding, friends and society. There are tests like questionnaires designed by health care professionals, blood alcohol tests, or maybe tests designed to check for low testosterone levels associated with alcohol abuse.