Unfortunately, when it comes to kids and alcohol, parents can't just gaze into a crystal ball to find out whether their kids will face a drinking problem in their teenage years. But there are biological and environmental factors you can watch out for to help you figure out if your child may, possibly, be at a greater risk for drinking and alcohol addiction.
"It's important to keep in mind", says Ken Winters, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, and Senior Scientist at the Treatment Research Institute, "that there is no single factor that leads to alcohol abuse and, even if alcohol addiction runs in your family, no single risk factor determines a child's destiny. Even teens with multiple risk factors don't necessarily end up with a drinking problem, while, on the flip side, kids with no risk factors can develop a problem."
Family History
"You can tell if you have a biological risk, generally speaking, just by virtue of how much alcoholism is in the biological relatives of a given person," says Winters. While there is a stronger biological risk if a child's parents have addiction problems, he or she is still at an elevated risk if an aunt, uncle, grandparent or cousin has an addiction or is in recovery.
If alcohol addiction does run in your family, Winters suggests talking to your kids about it no later than the pre-teen or early teen years. There's no reason to be embarrassed or shy about discussing your own addiction problems with your kids. Discuss it in the same way you would if you had a disease like diabetes. Not sure what to say? Try changing the following script to fit the needs of your situation and family:
I have a disease called alcoholism. It means I can't drink alcohol anymore. When I did drink and wasn't watching out for my health, it really hurt me and the people I love. Yes, drinking is legal but some people can handle it and some people can't. This disease can run in families so it's something you need to watch out for -- and I'm going to help you do that.
Environmental Factors
Other factors that could spotlight a potential problem with alcohol addiction have more to do with what's going on in a child's life. Winters says the most important environmental factors to watch out for include a child who:
- tried drinking or drugs at an early age
- has friends that use alcohol
- has parents or siblings who frequently drink around him or her
- exhibits little excitement or commitment to school and poor academic performance
- suffers from depression and/or anxiety
Winters says it's especially important to jump on these problems if they crop up during the pre-teen or early teen years. Some researchers believe that kids who start using alcohol or drugs really early are far more likely to develop an addiction problem.
The Best Prevention
There is one thing all parents can do to help protect their kids against teenage drinking: build strong family bonds. "Teenagers who say they can go to at least one parent to confide in or seek advice when they're dealing with a personal issue are much less likely to use," says Winters. For more about bonding, please read
The Building Blocks of Bonding.