Dear Mr. Morton,
Our daughter may be abusing alcohol. We thought abusing alcohol was mostly a problem with teen boys, not girls. Are there any tests to determine is she is drinking too much? — Anonymous.
Dear Anonymous,
I’m sure many parents like you have the same concern. It is correct that teen binge drinking is more of a problem with teen boys (who continue to report more binge drinking episodes on surveys). However, your daughter may be one of the 20 percent of teen girls who do, indeed, engage in binge drinking.
Your gut instinct about your daughter’s drinking behavior is a cause for alarm! Studies show that eight percent of eighth graders, 16 percent of sophomores, and nearly 25 percent of seniors drink five or more drinks (binge drink) on the same occasion. Unfortunately, about 5,000 youth under 21 die every year from car crashes, homicides, and suicides due to underage drinking, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
Specifically, analysis of police reports reveals that alcohol directly relates to 1,900 teen deaths from car crashes and 300 teen suicides each year.
So, keep a close watch on your daughter, for binge drinking affects an increasing number of teen girls. The Center for Disease Control released a report that showed one in five high school girls engaged in binge drinking. In the report, they defined binge drinking as a female consuming four or more drinks on a single occasion (for males, binge drinking is consuming five or more drinks in one sitting). Here is something else to consider: binge drinking has declined among boys for the past 10 years, yet has remained unchanged for girls over the past 15 years!
Here’s a “best kept” secret for you to determine if your daughter is abusing alcohol. I frequently used it during interviews with pre-teens and teens to determine the extent of their alcohol abuse. This questionnaire opened up opportunities for discussion as well. It is titled the “Who Me?” interview (John Hopkins) and is the best source for parents to use with teens and college students. Although I modified it to interview teens in my school psychology work, it remains straightforward and opens the door for subsequent discussion:
• Ever gotten into trouble at school or work because of alcohol?
• Ever been in trouble with the police because of alcohol?
• Do you drink to feel more relaxed around others?
• Do you drink to forget your worries?
• Do you drink to relax when you feel tense and nervous?
• Do you sometimes get drunk when you didn’t really intend to?
• Do you ever drink before going to a party?
• Ever had a drink in the morning?
• Do you ever worry about your use of alcohol?
• Ever gotten into an argument or fight when drinking?
• Ever had times you cannot remember what happened while you were drinking?
• Ever felt guilty or “bummed out” after drinking?
• Ever turn to an inferior environment since using alcohol?
• Are you sometimes overwhelmed with feelings of loneliness or despair?
• Ever promised yourself that you would cut down on the use of alcohol and failed to keep that promise?
Analysis: “Yes” to any five questions is definitely an alcoholic problem. Get help for your teen, now! “Yes” to four questions: strong probability usage is causing problems in your child’s life.
I hope you can go over these questions with your daughter, and I wish you the best!
Robert Morton is a former school psychologist and adjunct professor in the School of Leadership and Policy Studies at Bowling Green State University. You may contact him at [email protected].
