Jun 26 2008
The Functional Alcoholic
As silly as this statement might sounds it definitely can be true. There are those alcoholics who drink but don’t necessarily get drunk. They do not exhibit drunken behavior and actually function adequately in public. They are still at risk for alcohol related illnesses such as heart problems, liver disease or cancers but to look at them they may appear to be pretty well normal. These are very dangerous alcoholics.
These heavy drinking, alcohol dependent people have built up a tolerance to alcohol and require large amounts to function and generally maintain enough of a “buzz” just to keep the demons away, the withdrawal symptoms that are sure to bedevil them within a short time after their last drink, maybe within 3 – 8 hours. The withdrawal symptoms for these types of alcoholics are generally quite severe with the worst of the symptoms lingering for up to and over a week after their last drink.
When in this state of alcoholism you are cognitive of the fact you have a problem, but are unlikely to seek treatment since you know how difficult it will be to go through the withdrawal. Hence you continue your life as normal, chronically drinking alcohol and functioning in daily life as normal as possible. The alcohol dependency has firmly gripped this person and only professional assistance and acute care will release its hold.
Amazingly, these types of alcoholics are everywhere. They could be working next you, driving in front of you in their car, perhaps your boss is this kind of imperceptible alcoholic. Often these tortured souls will fool even the closest people in their lives but eventually the secret breaks. This charade sometimes even continues after the person is exposed since chances are the person who recognizes that a problem exists will be codependent. Co-dependents will typically do whatever it takes to conceal the problem from public scrutiny.
The alcoholic most likely to keep this problem hidden is one without too much familial responsibility. They may be affluent and successful, able to control their own destiny to a large degree and they will enjoy a certain autonomy over their schedule. Money is certainly not an object since they will rack up quite a weekly tab of generally expensive drink. This is not to say less prosperous alcoholics won’t become the alcohol tolerant, secretive, yet full-blown functioning alcoholic. It’s just much harder for them to keep the secret.
The agony of the addiction at this point for an alcoholic is palpable. Imagine knowing what you are doing is killing you, potentially ruining relationships, threatening your career and tearing you apart morally and spiritually. As much as this highly functional alcoholic believes they are fooling those around them, others know something is wrong. They may just believe that something else is responsible for your erratic behavior.
As for undergoing turmoil both morally and spiritually, one must lie and con their way through their days to get their next drink or cover up the fact they’ve been drinking. Spiritually they begin to think they are omnipotent and the world revolves around them, doing whatever they want whenever they want to. If things don’t work out for them they simply drink some more and pull further away while doing so.
These alcoholic’s are not looking for attention and in fact avoid it at all costs. There are far more of this type of alcoholic about than one may think. Given the disgrace associated with being an alcoholic, when reaching this level of dependency, thoughts of suicide may exist either passively or proactively. When there doesn’t seem to be any way out their options appear limited. The longer this type of alcoholic continues to drink the more likely there will be a tragic outcome.
The paradox is that these alcoholics for the most part appear pretty well normal. Unless there are some determined and caring people in the life of these dysfunctional individuals, by the time the problem becomes public knowledge there has probably been much damage already done. Awareness is the key to assisting these people. If there is a noticeable change in behavior, it should be questioned. If the person becomes habitually tardy and this is out of character raise the issue.
A covert search of this person’s domain at work or at home will likely reveal hidden alcohol. If possible, examine their spending habits; alcohol in the amount we’re talking about here is not a small expenditure. A loved one may feel like they are invading this persons privacy, but drastic measures are necessary. There will be anger and resentment when this alcoholic is called to account and resistance is almost a certainty. Disregard their feelings at this stage and understand you are attempting to save their life.
If a formal intervention of some kind is carried out on the alcoholic’s behalf, they may seek treatment. The reality is they have been living their life without hope for so long treatment is a frightening prospect. Persistence and resolve on the part of family and friends is critical to this person seeing the light and doing the right thing. At the very least this alcoholic now knows everything has changed for them and their current reality is no longer their own. By being aggressive when approaching the alcoholic they at least now know their options and the hope is that any remaining common sense will prevail.
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