Why Functioning Alcoholics Are a Myth

 

For most people, the term "alcoholic" brings up images of a homeless, unemployed person who is no longer able to function in normal society. When they think of an alcoholic, they think of someone who has lost everything that they hold dear, or someone who is on the verge of doing so.

The term "functioning alcoholic" refers to  someone who has not lost everything, but that does suffer from alcoholism. These individuals still show up to work on a daily basis, and on the surface look "normal". They do not attract attention and their alcoholism is not noticeable to acquaintances, but those who are close to them will have noticed something is wrong. A functioning alcoholic, in the broadest usage of the term, is often a high achiever who holds a position of respect - even clergy, doctors and judges or teachers can be alcoholics.

Functioning alcoholics can often do a good job of hiding their problem during the day. To those who only see them when they must "perform" they are charismatic, intelligent, engaging and attentive.

Those who know these supposedly functioning alcoholics more closely will tell a different story, however. At home, at the end of a long day, when no-one is looking, the functioning alcoholic drinks and allows the facade to fall away. This is where the myth starts to break down, because this kind of drinking is a serious problem.

Functioning alcoholics may fool their bosses, customers and casual friends, but they cannot fool their loved ones and they cannot fool their bodies. Regular, excessive alcohol consumption can do a lot of damage to your liver and your brain cells.  If the drinking habit continues for too long, this damage becomes impossible to reverse. In addition, drinking is expensive, and the way that alcoholics behave when drunk can damage their family relationships. This is why alcoholism must be taken seriously.

There is no such thing as a functioning alcoholic. If you drink a lot, and are unable to control that drinking, you are an alcoholic. Even if you can wake up the next morning and go to work without a hangover, you are still damaging your body. The alcoholics who hit rock bottom and are forced to wake up and recover are lucky in some respects, because they get a wake-up call before they do permanent damage to their bodies. Those who function on the surface may end up killing themselves through alcohol consumption before they realise how serious their habit really is.