The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression
Module 4: Screening and Assessment - Page 19 of 22
Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse
Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a teenager or young adult has a drinking problem. Most teenagers and young adults will not walk up to someone they are close to and ask for help.
There are signs that alcohol or other drugs are taking control of someone's life. Some of these signs are easy to see. Others are not. If a child has one or more of the warning signs listed below, he or she may have a problem with alcohol or other drugs:
- Getting drunk or high on a regular basis
- Lying about things (like where or with whom the child hangs out) or about how much alcohol or other drugs he or she is using
- Avoiding his or her parents to get drunk or high
- Giving up activities he or she used to do, such as sports or homework
- Hanging out with friends who drink or use drugs
- Having to drink more to get the same high
- Believing that he or she needs to drink or use other drugs to have fun
- Pressuring others to drink or use drugs
- Drinking and driving
- Taking risks, including sexual risks
- Having frequent hangovers
- Feeling rundown, hopeless, depressed, or suicidal
- Getting in trouble with the law
- Being suspended from school for an alcohol- or drug-related incident
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Last Updated: 5/19/04
SAMHSA is an Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
