Spot Addiction Potential Early

New York psychotherapist, Jan Summers, notes that in 23 years of working with parents and children, the children who were headed for addiction displayed some unique behaviors.
Here are some of them:

• A liking for alcohol and sugars early in life. This would be the toddler who would head straight for the unattended glass of beer or cries for candy.
• A sudden decline in school functioning at about the 3rd grade
• Complaints about disruptive behavior at about the 3rd grade
• ADHD - Attention deficit and hyperactivity
• Food cravings for high fat and high sugar foods almost exclusively
• A marked dislike of specific vegetables or fruits
• Difficulty getting up in the morning; staying up late into the night
• Talkative & nervous
• Early smoking
• High risk takers           

While the presence of these behaviors will not guarantee that a child will develop addictions, their presence should serve as a red flag to parents.