A couple of thoughts about signs of alcoholism ....
1. I have a lot of "addictive behaviors" besides alcohol. While these behaviors (or defects of character as I've learned they are called) can make me very successful in some aspects of life, after I realized that I was an alcoholic, I saw them more clearly. See if your child has other addictive behaviors - this could be a warning sign (e.g. I still bite my nails !!!)
2. Alcohol is our solution to our underlying problem. My underlying problem was putting too much pressure on myself and wanting to control things that were out of my control. This has nothing to do with alcoholism, but these feelings drove my desire to drink. So, helping a child feel happy and balanced can go a long way to helping this.
3. Obviously the alcoholism in one's family and the genetic pre-disposition for alcoholism
4. Binge drinking to the point of blackouts is a serious problem regardless of whether she is an alcoholic or not. I highly recommend that you somehow get her introduced to some AA materials (there is a teenagers section on the AA website at
Alcoholics Anonymous :)
I am an alcoholic, but I never blacked out until I was in my 30s. Some people have blackouts immediately upon starting drinking.
If you asked my opinion, I would say with 90% certainty that she is probably an alcoholic (or will become one without some intervention).
My thoughts are with you.