Adolescents tend to drink if the adults around them drink or binge drink alcohol. Read about the mental health challenges facing teenagers at Healthline and Psych Central’s Youth In Focus series, which shares useful tips, resources, and support. Underage drinking is a serious public health problem in the United States. Alcohol is the most widely used substance among America’s youth and can cause them enormous health and safety risks. If you suspect that someone is experiencing an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help immediately.

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Do not wait for the person to have all the symptoms, and be aware that a person who has passed out can die. Don’t play doctor—cold showers, hot coffee, food, and walking do not reverse the effects of alcohol overdose and could make things worse. If you or a friend are struggling with alcohol, know that you can take control and recovery is possible.

If you suspect that you or a friend has an alcohol problem, there are many treatment options available, and the earlier you get help, the better. Talk with a trusted adult, such as a parent, family member, coach, school counselor, doctor, certified substance use counselor, or a leader in your faith community. The early warning signs of an alcohol problem can be hard to recognize because some symptoms can overlap with what are considered normal teen behaviors. Left untreated, alcohol overdose can lead to permanent brain damage or death. Through regular conversations about alcohol and by parents being a positive role model with their own drinking, parents can shape kids’ attitudes about alcohol and set them up to make healthy choices.

Physical and mental conditions:

You need help right now and several organizations are ready to lend a hand. All of these factors make it important to find treatment providers who have special expertise in treating adolescents. Evaluate whether you recognize any of the following symptoms in yourself. And don’t worry—even if you do identify symptoms, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of AUD and does alcohol affect gallbladder other alcohol-related consequences.

1. The early warning signs of an alcohol problem can be hard to recognize because some symptoms can overlap with what are considered normal teen behaviors.
2. When someone drinks frequently, their body becomes dependent on alcohol.
3. For example, there are no alcohol treatment medications that have been approved for adolescents to use.
4. Screening by a primary care provider or other health practitioner (e.g., pediatrician) provides an opportunity to identify problems early and address them before they escalate.
5. The more symptoms you have, the more urgent the need for change.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), about 3.4% of US teenagers ages 12 to 17 have AUD. Parents and teachers can play a meaningful role in shaping youth’s attitudes toward drinking. Parents, in particular, can have either a positive or negative influence. Having only a couple of symptoms—which you might not consider trouble signs—can signal a drinking problem.

Treating Underage Drinking Problems

In adults, drinking alcohol impairs decision-making and impulse control, and can lead to a range of negative consequences. For adolescents, drinking alcohol can make it even more difficult to control impulses and make healthy choices. In both adolescents and adults, drinking also compromises the ability to sense danger by disrupting the function of a brain region called the amygdala. Alcohol often produces rewarding feelings such as euphoria or pleasure that trick the brain into thinking the decision to drink alcohol was a positive one and that motivate drinking again in the future. Young people who drink alcohol are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that can lead to injuries and other health conditions. They’re also more likely to experience social, academic, and legal issues.

Age, sensitivity to alcohol (tolerance), gender, speed of drinking, medications being taken, and amount of food eaten recently can all be factors. Alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that the areas of the brain controlling basic life-support systems—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down. Excessive alcohol use can harm people who drink and those around them. You and your community can take steps to improve everyone’s health and quality of life. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Additionally, the NIAAA notes that people who start drinking before age 15 are more than three times as likely to develop AUD as an adult than people who waited until age 21 to start drinking.

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For more information about alcohol’s effects on the body, please see the NIAAA Interactive Body. Adolescents typically have an increased desire to experience new things, but experimenting with alcohol is not a good idea. If you’re worried about your teen using alcohol, it may be tempting to take an extremely strict approach or overemphasize the risks of alcohol use. Recognizing AUD in teenagers isn’t always easy, but it can be the first step in offering them the support they need. If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. If you do have any of these symptoms, then alcohol may already be a cause for concern, and a what is a drinker’s nose conversation about alcohol use with a professional is recommended.

If a person drinks enough, particularly if they do so quickly, how to take xanax responsibly alcohol can produce a blackout. Alcohol-induced blackouts are gaps in a person’s memory for events that occurred while they were intoxicated. These gaps happen because alcohol temporarily blocks the transfer of memories from short-term to long-term storage—a process known as memory consolidation—in a brain area called the hippocampus.

Blood alcohol concentration can continue to rise even when you stop drinking or are unconscious. Alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and to circulate throughout your body. If you suspect someone is experiencing an alcohol overdose, get medical help immediately. Cold showers, hot coffee, food, or walking will NOT reverse the effects of alcohol overdose and could actually make things worse. However, frequent alcohol misuse may eventually lead to AUD, according to the NIAAA.

In addition, teens need to build different skills and coping strategies than adults. Please note, adolescents have many different issues that need to be addressed in different ways, and treatments for adolescents are often different than for adults. For example, there are no alcohol treatment medications that have been approved for adolescents to use. Know where and how to get treatment and other support services and resources, including counseling or therapy (in person or through telehealth services). Doctors diagnose alcohol use disorder (AUD) when a person has two or more of the symptoms listed below. What tips the balance from drinking that causes impairment to drinking that jeopardizes your life varies among individuals.

The more symptoms you have, the more urgent the need for change. Sian Ferguson is a freelance health and cannabis writer based in Cape Town, South Africa. She’s passionate about empowering readers to take care of their mental and physical health through science-based, empathetically delivered information. If you think your teen may not feel comfortable talking with you, perhaps guide them toward another trusted adult, such as an aunt, uncle, family friend, or community leader, with whom they have a good relationship. Regardless of the cause of someone’s AUD, it’s important that they receive the treatment and support they need to feel better. However, it’s still a good idea to reach out to them — regardless of the cause of their behavior, they may need guidance and support.

The more we know about how alcohol affects the adolescent brain, the more we can inform the conversations about alcohol that we have with teens. The percentage of pure alcohol, expressed here as alcohol by volume (alc/vol), varies within and across beverage types. Although the standard drink amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, they may not reflect customary serving sizes.