High Functioning Alcoholics What Are the Hidden Warning Signs?

When you’re ready to seek help, or if you have questions about how to live with an alcoholic, we’re here for you. The participants in an intervention could include the alcoholic’s spouse or partner, children, parents, friends, coworkers, employer, friends and other individuals who have been affected. A substance abuse counselor, family therapist or spiritual advisor may also attend to provide an objective presence and keep the agenda on track. If the consequences of high-functioning alcoholism have become overwhelming, and your loved one refuses to seek help for alcohol abuse, it could be time to plan an intervention. An intervention is a planned meeting in which the concerned parties confront the alcoholic about their behavior.

How to Know if I’m a High-Functioning Alcoholic?

The test helps give your doctor an idea of what treatment is best for you. The signs and symptoms listed above should be a good indicator of high-functioning alcoholism. BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor.

High-functional alcoholism is a serious problem that can lead to severe physical and mental health complications. Recognizing the symptoms of high-functioning alcoholism is important because it allows you to get the help you need. Chronic alcohol use leads to long-term consequences on their physical and mental health. Eventually, this will affect their function and severely impact their lives and loved ones.

What is a Functioning Alcoholic & What are the Risks?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the typical high-functioning alcoholic is a middle-aged, well-educated person with a stable job and a family. “High-functioning alcoholic” is a term used to describe someone suffering from alcohol dependency or addiction but still able to function relatively normally. Although they may appear to be healthy and functional, without treatment, their condition could get worse. Although a person with high-functioning alcoholism may appear fine, they are not.

Additionally, it is essential to look after one’s health and well-being during this challenging time. Eating well and getting regular quality sleep can positively impact a loved one’s alcohol addiction journey. The risks and effects of alcoholism on physical health are also significant. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works, impacting mood, behavior, clear thinking, and coordination. Alcohol misuse is linked to peripheral neuropathy, which can cause numbness in the arms and legs and painful burning in the feet.

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Your conversation should happen when the person you are trying to help is sober. Most importantly, while you should avoid being judgmental or accusatory, you should also be honest about how alcoholism is affecting you and the alcoholic. The person may offer excuses or attempt to explain away their addiction, but stay firm and offer to help the person start treatment. If possible, get other family member and friends involved and stage an intervention. Regrettably, in many cases, other people in their lives affirm their denial by agreeing with their excuses and encouraging them to drink more. Spouses and family members of high-functioning alcoholics sometimes makes excuses for them as well and continue to keep alcohol at home.

• Living with a high-functioning alcoholic can have a serious impact on your own health and well-being.
• The main risk of high-functioning alcoholism is the potential for a worsening condition.
• Treatment providers are available 24/7 to answer your questions about rehab, whether it’s for you or a loved one.
• Nevertheless, high-functioning alcoholics have an addiction disorder which requires treatment.
• Any treatment center receiving calls from the site is a paid advertiser.

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Their representatives will discuss whether their facility may be an option for you. These calls are offered at no cost to you and with no obligation to enter into treatment. Start the conversation, and connect with a treatment provider who can help. Multiple areas of a high-functioning alcoholic’s life are greatly affected by the addiction. Sunnyside Med offers access to compounded naltrexone (50mg + B6 5mg), paired with behavioral tools to help you reduce your drinking over time. An individual who is suffering from addiction is more likely to socialize with others who drink and attend social events where drinking is encouraged (i.e., at bars, clubs, or cocktail parties).

Reset Your Mind: Benefits of Inpatient Mental Health Care

Individuals receive treatment through medications, therapy, support groups, or a combination of the three. High-functioning alcoholism is High-functioning alcoholic defined by the alcohol’s ability to work or function normally. These people appear successful and healthy despite a possible underlying alcohol use disorder.

For Loved Ones: How to Support a Loved One’s Mental Health

No matter how well high-functioning alcoholics conceal their addiction or maintain their careers and relationships, they are still alcoholics. Many high-functioning alcoholics in recovery have testified that someone can only live a normal life with alcoholism for so long until the disorder starts to affect their health and behavior. For example, high-functioning alcoholics are at greater risk for driving under the influence and committing other alcohol-related crimes. Even if a high-functioning alcoholic never suffers any legal or professional consequences from alcohol abuse, their body will still suffer. Long-term, chronic drinking damages a person’s brain, heart, liver, and other vital organs.

• It is important to have open and honest discussions about their alcohol use and the impact it is having on you.
• The best way for someone to help a high-functioning alcoholic is to have a forthright conversation with them about their addiction.
• Start your recovery journey with peace of mind, knowing your care is covered.
• Because these indicators tend to appear gradually over time, they can be challenging to identify, as well as to connect directly to drinking.
• A high-functioning alcoholic can exist in any social class, profession, or cultural background.

According to a recent National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism survey, nearly 15 million Americans age 12 and older have alcohol use disorder (AUD). Sometimes, only the people close to them will notice their problematic drinking patterns. Individual therapy, combined with marriage or family counseling, can strengthen your self-esteem and help you build a healthy, sober relationship. They may also withdraw from social situations and find excuses to miss events or optional commitments where drinking is not available or possible. There may also be new legal issues arising for them, like driving under the influence or making other poor decisions. You may begin to notice that a couple of beers after work has turned into a six-pack or even a case.

They may be managing their jobs, finances, and relationships, but alcohol use is still causing physical and emotional harm. Alcohol can impair cognitive function, leading to altered judgment and increased impulsivity, which can contribute to mood swings and complicate their relationships and professional life. A high-functioning alcoholic can exist in any social class, profession, or cultural background. They may be a spouse, a parent, a top-level executive, or a college student. Over time, these individuals risk a decline in mental and physical health as their body and relationships bear the weight of long-term alcohol misuse.

According to a government survey, about 20% of alcoholics in America are high-functioning alcoholics. They take care of their families, always pay their bills, and avoid trouble with the law. In fact, their families and friends might not even know they are alcoholics if they show no signs of having a substance use disorder. Some high-functioning alcoholics will even keep their alcoholism a secret or fail to recognize it themselves.