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Some individuals may need additional help breaking their addiction to alcohol. No matter what stage of alcoholism someone is currently experiencing, there is hope to get through their alcohol addiction. Medically-supervised detox followed by an inpatient treatment program can increase the likelihood of successful recovery and help people regain control. For more information on the stages of alcoholism for functioning alcoholics, contact us today. Alcoholism can take a devastating toll on a person’s physical health, emotional well-being, personal relationships and professional life. However, many alcoholics manage to function effectively, holding down jobs and maintaining households.

• Sarah Allen Benton, M.S., LMHC., LPC, is a licensed mental health counselor and author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic.
• This façade may hold up for months or even years, but eventually, the addiction will take over, and cracks will begin to appear.
• It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.

What Are the Long-Term Health Risks of Being a Functional Alcoholic?

Possible physical side effects include increased blood pressure and liver damage. In the morning, their hands may shake and they may experience frequent heartburn. During this stage, individuals are drinking every day, usually to avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. However, many people still believe they are “functioning” because they are able to get up and go to work. Although they still have a job, their performance is probably not what it used to be.

• Both binge drinking and heavy drinking patterns increase a person’s risk of AUD and are common behaviors among people with AUD.
• Most work full time and have stable relationships along with high earnings.
• Consider talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped.
• Functional alcoholics can regain control over their lives and find the support they need to thrive in sobriety.
• Family members may need to hold an intervention for their loved one with alcoholism.

What is a Functional Alcoholic? Meaning, Signs and Effects

But as you continue to drink, you become drowsy and have less control over your actions. Alcohol withdrawal can begin within hours of ending a drinking session. Mission Harbor is dedicated to treating Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County with specialized mental and behavioral health programs in a convenient outpatient environment.

Impact of Being a Functional Alcoholic

You can also dispel some of the myths and stereotypes about alcoholics that I have written about in other blog posts on this site and in my book Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic. You can help to slowly chip away at his or her denial, but it is also important to come from a place of compassion and not from a position of judgment. Recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) is an ongoing process and those fortunate to have long-term recovery share one thing in common—an ability to recommit. The recovery process from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) has evolved over time. It also shifts for individuals throughout the course of their sobriety.

People with high-functioning alcoholism tend to drink every other day and consume five or more drinks per sitting. They are also the most likely of all the alcoholic subtypes to be college-educated, and the least likely to use illegal drugs. Essentially, a high-functioning alcoholic is a person who is addicted to alcohol but has yet to really suffer from the negative consequences of their drinking. A high-functioning alcoholic may experience some consequences related to their drinking, but they are not enough to limit their ability to maintain their responsibilities.

These achievements often lead to an increase in personal denial as well as denial from colleagues and loved ones. Close family members are almost always affected by a loved one’s substance use disorder. Family dynamics with a functional alcoholic can be unpredictable, stressful, and even frightening, especially to children. It’s not as easy to pinpoint whether or not someone you know is a functional alcoholic. If a person is succeeding at work, looks happy with their family, and has no outward signs of distress, how can you tell if someone is addicted to alcohol? According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), an estimated 85.6 percent of people aged 18 and older reported drinking alcohol at some point in their life.

What are the risk factors for high-functioning AUD?

Functional alcoholics may not even realize they’re actively concealing symptoms of their disorder. Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem. An intervention from high functioning alcoholic loved ones can help some people recognize and accept that they need professional help. If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person.

Ever read your medical record? Here’s why you should

Although you might not hit all the criteria for the condition, and the impact on your life may appear minimal, AUD is a chronic and progressive condition. This means the negative impact on your life will likely grow, and the condition will not get better on its own without treatment. There is research showing that about 19.5 percent of people with AUD are middle-aged, well-educated, and have stable jobs, homes, and families. This could include people with high-functioning AUD, but these criteria are not definitive characteristics. There are no official diagnostic criteria for what it means to be high functioning.

Still, social media posts making the debunked assertion that Harris cannot serve as President went viral soon after Biden announced Sunday that he was dropping out of the race and would back Harris for President. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a degenerative brain disorder that causes mental confusion, vision problems, lack of coordination, and memory problems, among other symptoms. Mutual-support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and inpatient rehabilitation are common treatments for alcohol problems. As mentioned above, the DSM-5 says an AUD diagnosis requires at least 2 of the 11 symptoms of alcoholism listed above to have occurred within the previous 12 months. There is a cumulative impact that can lead to an increase in stress that builds up over time. This particular holiday season may pose greater challenges than those in the past for individuals in early sobriety.

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