You know you are an alcoholic if you have strong cravings for alcohol, loss of control to stop drinking, need more alcohol in order to achieve the effects, and experience withdrawal if you are without it. Young adults can experience these symptoms as well. Teens and young adults are the largest types of alcoholics which is all the more reason for them to seek treatment to prevent alcoholism to follow them through adulthood.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, young adults are the largest groups of alcoholics as they make up 31.5%. It can occur with men and women under 25. Because of social anxiety and the pressure to fit in, many tend to binge drink which means they have more than five drinks at a time. 25% of young adults experience being late to school or missing class, falling behind, having low grades, or just not showing up at school altogether.
Signs your child is an alcoholic can be physical challenges like a lack of appetite or sleeping patterns. Their eyes can be bloodshot or pupils larger or smaller than usual. They could also care less about personal hygiene or lack of enthusiasm for joining in activities that they used to love because they are more focused on acquiring alcohol. There can also be behavior changes as well such as being easily agitated, distant, and having sudden outbursts. Because of their pride and ignorance thinking their drinking is not a problem, many young adults do not seek help. Many also feel they will eventually grow out of drinking and that it is just a fun thing to do when you are young. Young adults need to be educated on the dangers that come from drinking at their homes as well as school.
Young antisocial alcoholics make up 21% of 26 year-olds. They tend to start drinking at 15 and become alcoholics at 18. Many of them deal in other abusive substances like tobacco or marijuana. This group of alcoholics have antisocial personality disorder which involves recurring criminal activity, lack of remorse, fighting, deceitfulness, impulsiveness, and irresponsibility. Because this is a group that can be impacted by the police and law enforcement as well as old enough to be hospitalized, 35% seek help by detox programs, self-help groups, specialty treatment, and individualized private healthcare. Young adults must get help now while they are still young.
Smarmore Castle Private Clinic in County Louth, near Dublin was founded in 1988 as a residential rehabilitation hospital treating people suffering from drug and alcohol purposes. Smarmore Castle believes in helping patients lead a life of abstinence through 12 Step programs, detox and medical treatment, psychotherapy, and complementary therapies. For more information, please call 041-214-5111. For those who live out of the country, the international number is 00353-41-214-5111.
