Out of this total, as many as 20 percent may be functional alcoholics. The primary distinction between a habitual drinker and an alcoholic is that the former can refrain from alcohol for extended periods, while the latter cannot. While problem drinkers may occasionally miss work or school due to excessive drinking, they still have days, weeks or even months without consuming alcohol. Typically, an individual with alcoholism struggles to stop drinking or abstain from it for long durations. In order to justify their behaviour, functioning alcoholics may find ways to make it seem acceptable or shift responsibility onto other people or circumstances. Having an increased ability to handle alcohol is often a sign of functioning alcoholism.
Understanding Functioning Alcoholism
Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction. Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality. Support groups can help those in recovery by providing them with a much-needed support system. Support group meetings are not just a vital part of the treatment process but are regularly used even after completing formal treatment. Through CBT, those in recovery can also learn healthier ways to deal with possible triggers and cravings moving forward.
What are the consequences of functioning alcoholism?
Over time, you may struggle to maintain social and familial obligations and relationships. These people have jobs, active social lives, or happy families at home. People with high-functioning alcoholism can only keep up the facade for so long. Their symptoms can gradually worsen over time, eventually impacting both their personal and professional life.
Assessing Your Drinking: Am I a Functioning Alcoholic and What to Do About It
- Remember, it’s never too late to seek help and embark on the journey to recovery.
- When the pain or embarrassment gets bad enough, they can no longer deny that their drinking needs to be addressed.
- That said, alcohol addiction is progressive, which means the longer someone continues to abuse alcohol, the more severe their condition will get.
- Individuals receive treatment through medications, therapy, support groups, or a combination of the three.
We believe trust, meaningful connections, and kindness are the essentials to beginning a journey in recovery. Our Treatment Center is dedicated to providing an honest, authentic, and genuine treatment environment that gives our clients a unique opportunity for healing. Drinking rarely causes them to miss work and other obligations (although it does happen occasionally).
Since people with high-functioning AUD can be on the milder spectrum of the condition, the earlier treatment happens, the more it may be possible to avoid a progression. Your doctor may also conduct imaging tests if other laboratory studies come back abnormal. For example, a computed tomography (CT) scan tests for liver enlargement, which can occur after years of chronic drinking. Your doctor may order this test if your blood tests indicate abnormal liver functioning. Although you might not hit all the criteria for the condition, and the impact on your life may appear minimal, AUD is a chronic and progressive condition. This means the negative impact on your life will likely grow, and the condition will not get better on its own without treatment.
In either case, however, treatment can help people make great strides towards long-term recovery. Fortunately, there are plenty of treatment options and support in place for people struggling with high-functioning alcoholism and their loved ones. The best way to approach the situation is head-on and directly address the problem, discuss possible solutions, and communicate how their high-functioning alcoholism affects you or your family. However, it’s important to do so in a loving and non-judgmental way when the person is ready to address their own disease.
Functional Alcoholism and its Long-Term Impact
- And what I mean by that is, you are trying to compare how it ‘looks’ for other people, to how you ‘feel’ on the inside.
- Even if a high-functioning alcoholic never suffers any legal or professional consequences from alcohol abuse, their body will still suffer.
- Over time, you may struggle to maintain social and familial obligations and relationships.
- Addiction Resource does not offer medical diagnosis, treatment, or advice.
Genetics also play a role in one’s sensitivity towards and speed at which they build up their tolerance for alcoholic beverages. Peer pressure and easy availability of alcohol can increase the risk of developing an AUD. Negative life experiences, such as grief, abuse, or living in poverty, can also increase the odds. Social drinkers are those individuals who drink in low-risk patterns. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), "low-risk" drinking for females consists of no more than 7 drinks per week and no more than 3 drinks per sitting. For males, it consists of no more than 14 drinks per week and no more than 4 drinks per day.
Denial and Rationalisation
High-functioning alcoholics drink because they “need to drink,” not always because they want to drink. In some cases, high-functioning alcoholics will experience alcohol withdrawals once they quit drinking. However, alcohol withdrawal is potentially life-threatening, so your doctor functional alcoholic husband or healthcare provider may recommend starting with a medical detox program. To diagnose functioning alcoholism, health guidelines from NICE offer guidance on identifying and assessing problematic levels of consumption as well as addressing dependence or withdrawal symptoms.
- After all, by definition, the disorder significantly impairs your ability to function in many ways.
- But I couldn’t take it seriously until I was in a desperate situation.
- It’s not always easy, especially in the early stages, to convince a functional alcoholic that their choices are unhealthy, damaging, and dangerous.
- You might know someone who seems to struggle with their relationship to alcohol—but who also seems to have it together in most other areas of life.
- However, it’s important to face the reality sooner rather than later, because an addiction is best treated when identified early.
