Are you a parent or guardian wondering if your child is using alcohol and other drugs when they stay out late and then sleep in? Maybe you're a high school principal wanting concrete guidelines on the difference between normal adolescent development and the signs of harmful alcohol and other drug use, or a teacher with nagging doubts about the last time you ignored your students' jokes about drinking?

This pamphlet will help you learn to identify when a child or young adult you care about has a problem with alcohol or other drugs. It will give you an overall picture of changes that occur when young people misuse drugs—also called addictive substances—and whether or not they have developed addiction, or substance use disorder (SUD).

This pamphlet describes substance use vs. addiction, signs of misuse, and symptoms of substance use disorder, and outlines what you can do.