Signs of a High Functioning Alcoholic

If there’s someone in your life who drinks too much but doesn’t seem to feel the effects of heavy drinking, they might be a high functioning alcoholic. A high functioning alcoholic won’t look like someone who needs substance abuse treatment. They drink heavily, yet perform well in their professional and private lives, meeting their responsibilities and excelling in many aspects of life. They may avoid the negative consequences that come to other alcoholics, but that doesn’t last forever. High functioning alcoholics will sooner or later enter free-fall and hit rock bottom.

What is a High Functioning Alcoholic?

A high functioning, or functional alcoholic suffers from alcohol abuse disorder, a dangerous but highly treatable condition. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) states that 30 million people in the US have or have had an alcohol use disorder. It’s also estimated that 19% of alcoholics in the US are high functioning alcoholics—that’s over 5 million functional alcoholics adults in the US.

What Does It Mean to Be an Alcoholic?

An alcoholic is a person with alcohol use disorder or alcohol addiction—a harmful pattern of consuming alcohol that causes a person to be addicted to alcohol. Over time, their consumption of alcoholic beverages makes changes in the way their brains work. These changes are persistent and cause the alcoholic to be unable to function without having alcohol in their systems.

The high functioning alcoholic doesn’t experience the terrible consequences of addiction over the short term. A functional alcoholic’s daily life may seem enviable. A high functioning alcoholic can keep a job and fulfill family and social responsibilities while having a self-destructive relationship with alcohol.

Some common characteristics of functional alcoholism are listed below.

Identifying the High Functioning Alcoholic

Most of the following signs and symptoms of alcoholism apply to all types of alcohol abuse. Because a person with this form of alcoholism behaves normally in their day-to-day lives, picking up on the presence of this alcohol use disorder can be difficult. Some common signs of functional alcoholism include:

• Binge drinking. Many functional alcoholics are binge drinkers and consume their alcohol all at once. Binge drinking puts a person at high risk for alcohol poisoning.
• Replacing eating with drinking. Alcohol is high in sugar, which causes a person addicted to alcohol to feel full.
• Justifying their drinking. This is one of the red flags of functional alcoholism. High functioning alcoholics may justify their drinking habits as a well-earned reward for high performance.

• They compartmentalize their lives. Another of the most significant red flags is that high performing alcoholics separate their drinking personality from other parts of their life. Who they are when they’re at home, work, or with casual acquaintances is entirely different from who they are when they’re in the routine of drinking.
• Unusual drinking patterns. Drinking alcohol alone, at unconventional times (in the morning, at work)
• Increased tolerance to alcohol. They need to drink more to achieve the same effect. Tolerance and dependence are among the most common signs of addiction for all types of substance abuse but seem to develop more slowly for high functioning alcoholics.

• Feelings of shame. Intense, recurrent feelings of shame accompany all types of alcoholism, but it’s particularly significant for functional alcoholics.

The Dangers of High Functioning Alcoholism

Because high functioning alcohol addicts can keep up appearances in their lives, people don’t see the person as an alcoholic. Keeping a job and fulfilling family responsibilities will “excuse” high performing alcoholics of many negative consequences that more severe alcoholics experience.

However, this does not mean that terrible consequences will never come. For functional alcoholics, negative outcomes will eventually show up; they’re just a little slower in arriving than for other people suffering from alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

That’s because alcoholism is progressive. All alcoholics will need to drink more and more to get the same effects. In time, they keep drinking just to avoid going into withdrawal. Withdrawal from alcohol can be painful and life-threatening.

Even if a functional alcoholic keeps consuming the same excessive amount, heavy drinking damages every organ in the body. In time, damage from drinking adds up to life-threatening illnesses. At this point, a person addicted to alcohol cannot hide their condition.

How to Help a High Functioning Alcoholic

You may be able to help if someone you know is addicted to alcohol. The first step in recovery is accepting there is a problem, so start by having an open and honest conversation with your loved one. Approach the topic with concern and compassion.

NuLife Behavioral Health Illinois can help you or your loved one begin your recovery journey. Regardless of how your loved one responds to your concerns, having a conversation and providing them with treatment center resources is a significant first step toward recovery.

Treatment Options for Alcohol Addiction

NuLife Behavioral Health in the Chicago area is is a premier treatment facility that offers a wide array of services and levels of care tailored to each individual’s unique needs. Their approach combines evidence-based therapies with holistic healing techniques, ensuring you receive the most effective alcohol treatment possible. Here’s a snapshot of some of the treatment options available:

• Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): Designed for those who need a higher level of care but can’t commit to full-time inpatient rehab. IOP participants can stay involved in all their activities of daily life while still participating in all outpatient treatment programs.
• Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): Ideal for those who have completed inpatient treatment but still require intensive therapy and medical oversight. PHP requires 4 to 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. However, unlike inpatient rehab, partial hospitalization participants go home after therapy.
• Dual Diagnosis. Dual diagnosis refers to specialized treatment for people who are experiencing alcohol addiction and mental illness at the same time. Individually tailored treatment plans are available for those dealing with mental health conditions alongside substance abuse.
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a group support system focusing on a 12-step process of making personal changes that encourage sobriety.

The Bottom Line

Alcohol use disorder is a disease impacting the mental and physical health of millions. Although high functioning alcoholics can maintain an everyday life while drinking, regular heavy drinking can still have negative consequences.

If you or someone you know is struggling with high functioning alcoholism, treatment options are available. NuLife Behavioral Health Illinois in the Chicagoland area is here to provide the resources and support you need to move forward in your recovery.