Health Tip: Is Your Teen Abusing Alcohol?

A teen may not be forthright in telling you about drinking alcohol, but there may be warning signs.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these signals that your teen has been drinking:

• Smelling alcohol near your teen.
• Noticing a difference in your teen's mood, or changes in the teen's attendance, behavior or grades.
• Sensing a loss of interest in school activities or sports.
• Behaving secretively, or withdrawing from family and friends.
• Hanging out with a new group of friends, particularly if the teen doesn't want you to meet them.
• Noticing that alcohol is disappearing from your house.
• Seeming depressed or withdrawn.