Dear Dustin,

Most people don’t know that teenagers need to drink more alcohol than adults to feel its effects. This is because teens have a much higher metabolic rate than adults. Therefore it’s not surprising that you didn’t feel that messed up after drinking so much. Another reason may be that, as a result of a lot of drinking in the past, you developed a tolerance to alcohol and need to drink more to feel the effects.

It takes a lot of courage to admit that you cannot control your drinking. It also reflects the fact that you may have a serious dependency on alcohol that requires professional treatment.

Because alcohol abuse can result in physical dependency, you may experience serious withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking. If so, the first step is to find a “Detox” (i.e., detoxification) facility that you can stay at for a few days to help you withdraw from alcohol safely. If that’s not necessary (or after completing detox), then you need to consider participating in an alcohol rehabilitation program. These programs usually provide individual, family, and group counseling to help you better understand why you drink and to learn ways to avoid drinking in the future.

To determine the level of treatment you require, consider getting an assessment from a trained mental health professional with expertise in treating substance use disorders. You can get good advice on finding someone by talking to a school counselor, nurse, principal, or assistant principal. The most important thing is taking the first step and doing it as soon as possible, before your problems get worse.