A reunion with your son, after he’s been away for months in college, should be a cheerful one for the entire family. However, when your son returns home struggling with an alcohol use disorder, the experience can be terrifying and devastating. Fortunately, you can seek assistance from a certified Ohio drug rehab, especially if you have been continuously wondering – is my son an alcoholic?
A few months of addiction can make your child appear like a stranger to you. Therefore, it’s essential to be able to identify signs of addiction in your college son.
So, what are the signs of alcoholism?
Mixing Drugs
If your college son is of legal age, he doesn’t expect you to have an issue with their drinking since it’s not illegal. However, if your son begins mixing alcohol with the over-the-counter, prescription, or illicit drugs, this should be a cause for concern.
Drug mixing might be an indication that your son’s body has already developed high tolerance levels. Therefore, he’ll require more drugs to attain the desired euphoric effects.
Deteriorating College Grades
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), regular binge drinking leads to a decline in the academic performance of one out of every four college students in the US. Students who over-drink skip classes or oversleep due to hangovers, making their grades suffer. Alcohol also hinders the ability of the brain to retain information.
Poor grades might be a sign that your son might be an alcoholic and is in dire need of professional help at an alcohol addiction treatment center in OH.
Avoidance of Contact
If you notice that unlike before, your son doesn’t like his eyes and yours to make contact, then he might be up to something weird, such as substance abuse. Experts concur that addicts who are still living in denial try their best to cut off from dissenting voices.
If you were close with your son before he went to college, but he’s now drinking excessively, you might ask – is my son an alcoholic? There is a high possibility he might be if he avoids spending time with you or other family members, and doesn’t return your calls.
If you’ve tried to talk to him about cutting down on his drinking, but he cut communication instead, it could signal alcoholism.
Mental Distresses
If your son is always moody, then he might be abusing alcohol at college. Alcohol tampers with the proper functioning of the brain; therefore, addicts become short-tempered, especially when they fail to get their drink.
Alcohol addiction increases a variety of mental distresses, such as:
- Anger and irritability
- Depression
- Short-term memory loss
- Incoherent speech
- Anxiety
Also, alcohol makes one’s brain to lose interest in other pleasurable things. Thus, anything else becomes second to alcohol. For example, if your son is always untidy and unclean, alcohol abuse could be the cause.
Questionable Financial Difficulties
Ordinarily, college students don’t have a lot of money. The chances are that you are their only source of income. However, if your son is working part-time, you might as well know how much they earn. Does your son have anything to show for the money they collect?
If your son is always broke notwithstanding the pocket money you sent him, or what he earns at his job, it might imply that alcoholism is consuming much of his money.
Is My Son an Alcoholic? Learn More at Rehab Today
Don’t waste any time if your son exhibits many of these warning signs. Seek immediate treatment in a rehab center. Talk to your son in a friendly manner to get him to open up about the cause of the addiction; treatment depends on the combined efforts of the therapists and your son.
Now you know what to do if you continuously wonder – is my son an alcoholic? Seek assistance from a professional rehab center with a variety of addiction treatment programs in Ohio. Check into rehab today, and the mental health professionals will get your son started on his recovery journey.