For parents, no news is as scary as finding out that your teenager son or daughter is abusing drugs or alcohol. When confronted with the information, most parents do not want to accept that their children may be alcohol addicts. In fact, denial among parents has been found to contribute to extended treatment requirements among teenagers.
There are many reasons why your teenager may start abusing alcohol. It is important to know that you have little control over what your child does when he/she is in school. Studies have shown that underage drinking problem usually starts in middle school. If your child survives middle school, he/she will still have to contend with the freedom and peer pressure experienced in college. Therefore, you do not have to blame yourself if your child falls into the trap of alcoholism. Read more here!
However, there is no denying that you will be hurt when your loved one is struggling with alcoholism. You may be wondering what went wrong or whether you’ve failed in your parental responsibility. However, this is not the time to feel sorry for yourself. Instead, you should take a proactive approach and look for a solution. Moreover, the earlier you accept the fact that your teenager is abusing alcohol, the faster you can get him or her the help required.
Various signs that can help you know when a teenager is abusing alcohol. However, you have to be careful as some signs may merely be due to the confusing stage of teenagehood. Therefore, do not go full-blast making accusations when you are not sure about something. Also, it’s best to approach the teenager with wise counsel rather than rebuking them for drinking alcohol. Teenagers are known to rebel when they are reprimanded or despised for their choices.
Bad Behavior among Teenagers
One of the signs that may indicate alcohol abuse by your teenagers is bad behavior. For example, most teenagers lie about curfews. You may also find that your teenagers have formed a habit of lying about where they were, what they were doing, whom they were with and so on. Other teenagers may cut and skip school. These bad behaviors are tell-tale signs that something is going on with your teenagers that should be addressed.
Confronting your teens about their bad behavior will help you know the underlying issues that they may be dealing with. From there, you can determine the best course of action to take. Before accusing your teens of taking alcohol, make sure you have proof and approach them in a counseling manner rather than a rebuking way. Visit https://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html for more about addiction intervention.
Addiction Interventions 