CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Issues
2. Understanding Alcohol Abuse
3. Understanding Violence Against Women
4. Alcohol and Domestic Violence
5. Alcohol, Sexual Assault, and Rape
6. Prevention and Early Intervention
7. Screening and Assessment
8. Diagnosis and Treatment
9. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Fact Sheets
Videos
Resources

Silence Hurts
Alcohol Abuse and Violence Against Women

The Effects of Alcohol and Violence on Teens and Young Adults

Approximately 11 million youth in the United States under the age of 21 drink alcohol.²¹ Nearly half of them drink to excess, consuming five or more drinks in a row. This pattern of excessive underage drinking does not stop once the person reaches legal age. The pattern of alcohol abuse often continues into adulthood.

Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a teenager or young adult has a drinking problem. Most teenagers and young adults will not walk up to someone they are close to and ask for help. In fact, your client or client's child will probably do everything possible to deny or hide the problem. It is important to recognize a problem, because girls who use or abuse alcohol are at greater risk of being sexually assaulted or otherwise attacked.

There are signs that drugs or alcohol is taking control of someone's life. Some of these signs are easy to see. Others are not. If a child has one or more of the warning signs listed below, he or she may have a problem with alcohol or other drugs:

• Getting drunk or high on a regular basis
• Lying about things (like where or with whom he or she was) or about how much alcohol or other drugs he or she is using
• Avoiding his or her parents to get drunk or high
• Giving up activities he or she used to do, such as sports or homework
• Hanging out with friends who drink or use drugs
• Having to drink more to get the same high
• Believing that he or she needs to drink or use other drugs to have fun
• Pressuring others to drink or use drugs
• Drinking and driving
• Taking risks, including sexual risks
• Having frequent hangovers
• Feeling rundown, hopeless, depressed, or suicidal
• Getting in trouble with the law
• Being suspended from school for an alcohol- or drug-related incident

If you recognize some of these signs in a child, he or she may have a drinking problem. You may want to encourage your client's parents to:

• Tell the child that they are concerned for his or her health and safety.
• Tell the child that they want to be supportive and to help.
• Try not to judge their child by calling his or her behavior stupid or think he or she can just stop anytime.
• Give their child as much information as they can about alcohol abuse prevention and counseling services in the community. You can find local resources in the Yellow Pages under alcoholism or counseling as a start. Resources such as Al-Anon are available for parents and friends of alcoholics. Their Web site is www.al-anon.org.
• Offer to go with their child to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for the first time.