I’m 18 years old. I had my first drink when I was 15 at a party. In almost four years I think I have noticed a difference in my behaviour when I drink, I used to be fun when I was under an influence. Then I started taking alcohol to school, and after school I’d sit on my bed and get drunk, now I just drink when I’m stressed or bored, or sad. Do I have an addiction or am I going through a phrase that I should give time? I don’t know if I’m old enough to be an addict I haven’t really dealt with real life problems?!
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You’re not too young. If you keep going it can get worse. There’s plenty of young people in sobriety.
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I don’t think there is such a thing as being too young to have a problem. If you feel that you have a problem with alcohol then you probably have, nobody is here to tell you if you have a problem or not but they say you know if you have a problem when you try to stop and then see what happens. My drinking became problematic in my early twenties but I didn’t stop drinking for good untill I was 30 and that was with alot of help, I couldn’t do it on my own. This is a good place to start, look for similarities in others as opposed to differences, I only say this because if you find too many differences and it can convince you that your drinking is ok when that may not be the case. Good luck 
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In my opinion, if you are questioning it, it may already be a problem. I started out drinking at a young age, 14. It began as just drinking to have fun and loosen up at parties, to an evening ritual that carried into my 20’s and 30’s. Now I am 36 and struggling to stay sober. Maybe try taking a break from alcohol, it only gets harder the longer it goes on.
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Dont wait. If u let it go it may grow to be worse. Give yourself a chance at being sober for a bit now.
Coming from a 21 year old alcoholic, NO! You are not too young. And it’s so good you recognized that your behavior isn’t normal. like all addictions, what you’re doing at first is going to be fun then slowly you notice it becomes a crutch. I also started drinking around 15. From 18-21 I’ve developed all sorts of health problems from alcohol and it also introduced me to a decent amount of drug experimentation. My recommendation for you is try an AA class. If it speaks to you, keep going. If you’re scared to go alone, ask a close friend you trust to come with you 
it changed my life. Best of luck to you and we’re here for you!!
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I think I was already an alcoholic at 18. I had my first drink and started using drugs at 13. I was wild and crazy. I have lost 2 friends to drugs and a friend just passed away this December by passing out drunk and choking on his vomit. I probably should have died dozens of times. Get help now. I wish I did.
No your not too young. Most people had their first drink very young and that was the start of their alcoholism. And as they say in AA, “only an alcoholic will question if they have a problem with drinking.” Good luck and I hope you quit. We are all here to support you.
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I like the above comment…if you think you have a problem then you probably do. I think there is a reason why you came here. The good news is that you are young and your body will likely recover faster than if you spent the next 10-20 years of heavy drinking and tried to quit (like this old fart did).
I wish you the best. We’re here to talk if you need.
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Alcohol, by nature, is an addictive substance for humans. It doesn’t matter what you’re age is. You can be addicted to it if you’re 5 or 50. As the others have said, if you think you have a problem then you probably do.
Is it negatively affecting your life? Can you go without it just because you feel like it?
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Thank you for you encouraging and supporting words
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Of course! Anytime. Seriously I know how hard it is to be a young addict and it seems very scary but I definitely wish I got the help I needed at 18 before it started spiraling because I promise that’s all that is going to happen from it. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on a personal message, I’d love to be here for you and help you through this
I remember when I was 18, I had just graduated highschool and was partying ALL the time.I got in some pretty dangerous situations and it went on for years.I was violent, angry, lonely, and knew deep down I was addicted for at least 2 yrs at this point.
I never knew how bad it could get, but trust me its scary.
Im 26 and sometimes even I feel too young to quit drinking, thats what ppl my age are doing…well thats not even true I realized…people do it in their 30s 40s 50s 60s ect …but Ive weighed this out and life is much better when you are present.I wish I could erase most of my drunken embarassing years but it doesnt matter to me anymore. Theres way better ways to enjoy life.
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