While they may seem OK to the outside world, it’s likely that warning signs and symptoms are appearing elsewhere. The picture of someone struggling with alcohol abuse disorder is often one where people struggle to live life normally as they battle a dependency on alcohol. For many people struggling with addiction this is true, but for someone with functioning alcoholism this isn’t the case.
Non-high functioning signs
- Despite maintaining an outward appearance of normalcy, high-functioning alcoholics experience a range of detrimental effects that can erode their well-being over time.
- Similarly, if a person was diagnosed with Diabetes 1 but appears to be managing their life well and looks healthy that does not mean that they should not take their insulin or seek medical treatment.
- However, what you are doing is planting a seed that may increase the chances that this individual will get help in the future.
Although people who know high-functioning alcoholics are sometimes afraid to confront them with the truth, high-functioning alcoholics need honest support from friends and family to make the decision to seek help. The term “functional alcoholic” is heavily debated in the addiction community, but it’s part of the social vernacular so it’s valuable to discuss the common misconceptions. Just because someone with an alcohol use disorder (the medical term for an alcoholic) is functioning doesn’t mean they’re functioning well or functioning in each aspect of their lives.
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can impact short- and long-term physical and mental health.
- This can become a vicious circle in which going out for drinks provides a temporary escape from stressors.
- This article explores the meaning of the term high functioning alcoholic, looks at the signs and symptoms of alcohol use disorder (AUD), how people can help friends and family, and more.
- There are no official diagnostic criteria for what it means to be high functioning.
- This could include people with high-functioning AUD, but these criteria are not definitive characteristics.
Risks and Impact of Living With Alcohol Use Disorder
For this reason, it is hard to determine exactly how many people might have high-functioning AUD. However, this and other related misnomers such as “functional alcoholic” are no longer used because of the potential stigma that can prevent someone from seeking help. In the short term, alcohol use increases the risk for alcohol poisoning, fetal alcohol syndrome, accidents, injuries, violence, and risky sexual behavior. Sarah Allen Benton, M.S., LMHC., LPC, is a licensed mental health counselor and author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic.
What if your loved one refuses?
Research has shown that chronic alcoholics often suffer from such impairments, which can be a hurdle in recognizing the problem and seeking appropriate treatment. People who are in a codependent relationship with an alcoholic prioritize the needs of the alcoholic over their personal needs. They often suffer a variety of mental health issues, such as low self-esteem and depression. If you’re suffering from the effects of codependency, it may be time to take a break or distance yourself from the relationship.
High-functioning alcoholics effectively live a double life wherein they appear highly functional on the outside but are anxious, depressed, angry, and preoccupied with their next opportunity to drink on the inside. That is high functioning alcoholic why alcohol detox and alcohol withdrawal treatment is administered by medical professionals. It can lead to liver disease, pancreatitis, some forms of cancer, brain damage, serious memory loss, and high blood pressure.
Private outpatient treatment
As alcohol use increases, high-functioning alcoholics may begin to cancel appointments or other engagements in an effort to hide hangovers, withdrawal symptoms, and other indications of addiction. The professional lives of high-functioning alcoholics are often challenging and stressful. This can become a vicious circle in which going out for drinks provides a temporary escape from stressors. Treatment programs at The Recovery Village include a full spectrum of alcohol recovery services, from alcohol detox to rehab, aftercare and sober housing.
Identifying High-Functioning Alcoholism: Key Criteria
Your baby’s brain, heart and blood vessels begin to develop in the early weeks of pregnancy, before you may know you’re pregnant. When you call our team, you will speak to a Recovery Advocate who will answer any questions and perform a pre-assessment to determine your eligibility for treatment. If eligible, we will create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. If The Recovery Village is not the right fit for you or your loved one, we will help refer you to a facility that is. There is a cumulative impact that can lead to an increase in stress that builds up over time. So often, books and treatment are focused on the partner with the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) while spouses receive significantly less support but are equally in distress.
- Recovery is viewed as a long-term investment in one’s future, with the acknowledgment that the path to sobriety is often accompanied by confronting the darker aspects of alcohol dependence.
- Family members may need to hold an intervention for their loved one with alcoholism.
- Just because you open up about this issue does not mean the HFA in your life will immediately get help.
- Recovered.org provides an anonymous online evaluation tool to check if drinking has become problematic and provides further resources for help and support.
