A “functional” or “high-functioning alcoholic” is someone who drinks alcohol heavily and suffers from alcohol use disorder but still manages to hold down a job and take care of their day-to-day responsibilities. Functional alcoholics may seem to have a “normal” life on the surface, but they still struggle with alcohol addiction. While alcohol may not interfere with their jobs, their heavy alcohol consumption can lead to common signs of addiction, including cravings, mood swings, and episodes of blackouts. This can have a devastating effect on both their mental and physical health, despite the appearance of normalcy.
It’s important to recognize the warning signs or red flags of a functional alcoholic to prevent more severe consequences, such as health problems, strained relationships, and job losses. Signs of alcoholism in functional drinkers may be subtler than in others, but the risks remain just as serious.
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What Is a Functional Alcoholic?
Functional alcoholics often engage in excessive binge drinking but can still hold onto their jobs, family responsibilities, and social lives. While they don’t fit the stereotypical definition of a “drunk” — public intoxication, job loss, or even homelessness — their drinking patterns still put their long-term health and daily life at risk. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms may also be masked as general stress or irritability, making it harder to spot the problem.
Understanding the risk factors and recognizing the common signs of functional alcoholism can help ensure that individuals get the support they need before the situation worsens. Organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous provide resources for those struggling with alcohol addiction, including functional alcoholics, to address their unique needs in recovery.
Common Characteristics of a Functional Alcoholic
Although functional alcoholics can meet their daily responsibilities somewhat effectively, they still display common characteristics that reveal their struggle with alcohol.
- Denying They Have a Problem: Because functional alcoholics can hold down a job, meet obligations, and participate in family activities, they believe their drinking isn’t problematic. When family members or loved ones share their concerns, functional alcoholics may dismiss these concerns as overreacting.
- Rationalizing Their Behavior: They may also rationalize their problem, pointing to their job success as proof that they don’t have a problem with alcohol, or if they do, it isn’t that bad.
- High Tolerance for Alcohol: Functional alcoholics tend to have a high tolerance for alcohol and can consume large amounts of alcohol before feeling intoxicated.
Signs of High-Functioning Alcoholism
Signs of high-functioning alcoholism can be difficult to spot because these individuals often maintain a facade of normalcy. However, some signs do indicate they have a problem with alcohol.
Behavioral Signs
Drinking in Isolation: Functional alcoholics tend to drink in isolation, away from judgmental eyes. They may drink to relieve stress or unwind but will often prefer to do it alone. Over time, they use alcohol to help manage their emotions.
Needing Alcohol to Relax: Functional alcoholics find it difficult to have fun and relax without alcohol. When they’re sober, they’re awkward and uncomfortable in social settings. This reliance on alcohol to relax and have fun is often a sign of an alcohol addiction.
Minimizing the Extent of Their Drinking: Another common behavioral sign is minimizing how much they drink. Functional alcoholics may lie about how much they drink outside of work or after work. Minimizing or denying the actual amount consumed helps them avoid the reality of their alcohol dependence.
Physical Signs
Increased Tolerance: Functional alcoholics build up an increased tolerance to alcohol over time. This means they need to consume even more alcohol to feel the same effects as before. This increased tolerance is a clear sign they have an alcohol use disorder.
Experiencing Withdrawal Symptoms: Even functional alcoholics experience withdrawal symptoms when they’re not drinking. These withdrawal symptoms can range from shaking hands, night sweats, depression, irritability, and anxiety.
Social Signs
Struggling Emotionally: Although functional alcoholics seem to be doing well on the surface, they may be struggling internally with depression and anxiety. These feelings are a direct side-effect of alcohol use disorder.
Hiding the Extent of Consumption: While functional alcoholics may drink socially after work and on weekends, they may return home and continue to drink. The latter stage of drinking is often done in isolation, away from people they know.
Risks and Dangers of Functional Alcoholism
While functional alcoholics seem to live a normal life, there are risks and dangers to their lifestyle that accumulate over time.
Health Risks
Long-term Damage to Organs: The liver metabolizes and processes what you consume. When you consume too much alcohol, the alcohol overwhelms the liver’s ability to filter out alcohol. Ultimately, excessive drinking damages the liver, causing liver cirrhosis or alcohol-related liver disease (ARLS). Heavy drinking also affects the heart and can lead to high blood pressure and arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). Finally, long-term alcohol abuse can damage brain cells, leading to memory loss and cognitive impairments.
Increased Risk of Developing Serious Diseases: Damage to the organs can result in serious diseases, such as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs when alcohol permanently damages the liver cells, leaving scar tissue. Functional alcoholics also have an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as liver cancer and colorectal cancer. Moreover, clinical depression can result from long-term alcohol abuse as alcohol depletes serotonin in the body, the neurotransmitter responsible for boosting our moods.
Emotional and Mental Health Impact
Heightened Anxiety, Depression, or Stress: Alcohol may seem to alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety at first. However, with long-term use, it exacerbates mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. These mental health conditions often worsen during withdrawal, as feelings of anxiety typically intensify, causing individuals to turn to alcohol again to avoid feeling anxious. This cycle creates a destructive pattern of drinking, crashing, and suffering from both anxiety and depression after the crash, further impacting overall mental health and healthcare needs.
Social and Relationship Strain
Increased Irritability and Neglect of Others: Functional alcoholics often feel irritable when they’re not drinking, which can strain relationships with family and friends. Their heavy drinking in isolation may lead to neglecting those close to them, especially if they have children. Consuming heavily over the weekends and waking up to hangovers on Monday morning can cause professional tensions at work as well.
Escalation of Alcohol Dependency
The Gradual Loss of Control: Although high-functioning alcoholics may seem in control, over time there may be a gradual loss of control, especially as their behavioral and physical symptoms worsen. As their drinking increases, their condition can escalate to severe alcoholism. This may translate into more significant health problems, job losses, and strained personal relationships.
How to Seek Help
Many functioning alcoholics believe their drinking is under control. However, it’s important to recognize the above signs that indicate their drinking is a problem. Functioning well at work doesn’t necessarily mean you have healthy drinking habits.
Some of the benefits of early intervention and treatment for high-functioning alcoholics include:
- Better Mental Health: Treating your alcohol use disorder can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety that many alcoholics experience.
- Stronger Relationships: Individuals who get treatment for their alcohol use disorder (AUD) can begin cultivating stronger relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. Once the cycle of heavy drinking and withdrawal ends, individuals will typically become more reliable again.
- Healthier Lifestyle: While some damage to the body may be permanent, individuals can still reverse some of the damage alcohol causes to their body. This is especially true if the alcohol use disorder has not graduated to a stage of severe alcoholism.
Functional alcoholics who want to stop drinking can turn to rehab centers, like Garden State Treatment Center. We offer tailored solutions for individuals looking to regain control of their lives.
Get Professional Guidance and Support
Functional alcoholism may seem harmless on the surface, but it poses significant health and mental risks. Individuals may do a good job of portraying normalcy, but their lives can quickly deteriorate if their drinking escalates. To make meaningful changes in their lives, it’s important for functional alcoholics to acknowledge their drinking problem and seek professional help.
If you or a loved one is a functioning alcoholic, a variety of addiction treatment options are available. Alcohol addiction treatment and alcohol rehab programs, such as those at Garden State Treatment Center, offer comprehensive treatment programs, including detox, behavioral therapy, and customized strategies to help individuals regain control of their lives. Whether you require inpatient care, outpatient treatment, or a combination of both, there are treatment facilities and programs designed to meet your specific needs.
In addition to individualized therapy, support groups and group therapy provide valuable community support and help individuals develop essential coping mechanisms for long-term recovery. Outpatient or inpatient services can be tailored to your lifestyle, whether you need more intensive support or flexibility to manage everyday responsibilities.
To find out more about the kind of substance abuse and substance use disorder treatment programs we offer, contact our team at Garden State Treatment Center in New Jersey. Help is just a phone call away, and our helpline is available for those in need of immediate assistance.
Published on: 2024-10-24
Updated on: 2024-11-05
