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.

Warning Signs For Alcohol Abuse

"Everything in moderation," the saying goes. That saying has often been related to the consumption of alcohol, but what exactly is moderation? It can be difficult to see if your drinking has become problematic, so here are some signs that could mean it is time to seek treatment for your drinking problem.

2 Day Hangover

Did you drink enough over the weekend to leave you with a hangover that lasts more than a day? This is a very strong sign that your drinking has entered "binge drinking" status.

Drinking Cheaper Alcohol to Afford More of It

This may seem like an obvious sign, but many people do not even realize they are doing this at the time, and simply see it as a way of saving money, not that they are stocking up for a lot of alcohol.

Drinking to Handle Situations

Have you ever been scheduled to be in a certain situation at a certain time, and drank alcohol to prepare for that event? Whether you believe it is harmless, self-medicating, or just a bracer, that "needing" is a sure sign of a possible alcohol abuse problem.

Have You Been Abusing Alcohol, and Are Seeking Treatment?

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Signs Of Alcohol Abuse And Getting The Help You Need

 

Alcohol abuse can really do a number on you if you don't know how to work with it. This article will give you a few tips to assist you with this sort of thing. Read on and you'll get the knowledge you need to know about it.

When you want to quit drinking alcohol, know that it's going to be dangerous just to quit cold turkey if you've been drinking for a long time. This is something that you need to talk to a medical professional about because it can have detrimental effects on your health if you don't do things correctly. People tend to think they can just quit and it will all work out, but that's not the best thing to do. Always get help with quitting from a doctor or someone that can help you so you don't get hurt when you're trying to quit.

Tell yourself that you're going to quit and make sure you look for the signs that you're abusing alcohol. If you have to have a drink just to function, then you probably are dealing with an issue. If you drink on binges for some reason, then that's another reason why you may be an alcoholic. Just because people don't notice that you drink doesn't mean that you don't have a problem. If you are drinking for any reason and can't stop yourself, then you may need to go get some help with this before it gets to be out of control.

Working on an alcohol abuse problem shouldn't be hard for you now that you have some information about it. In the end the best thing to do would be to get some help with it. Use this advice and you'll do just fine in the end.

Do You Have An Addiction To Alcohol, Or Have Been Struggling With Alcohol Abuse and Binge Drinking?

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Alcohol Abuse And Getting Some Help With It

If you are dealing with an alcohol abuse issue, then you probably want to know what you can do to take care of it. Well, you've come to the right place. Below are a couple of easy to follow tips that will help you with your situation.

Try to find a group that you can join where you talk about your addiction problem. They have things like AA meetings where you go in and learn from others how you're able to deal with your drinking. You could also just try to talk to a counselor one on one and maybe even a psychiatrist. This is so that you can get to the bottom of why you're using alcohol as a crutch all the time. Whatever the case may be, you're going to need some form of professional help if you want to quit drinking and haven't been able to in the past.

When you do decide that you want to quit drinking, then you need to know what to look for in withdrawals so you know whether they are life threatening or not. If you start to see and hear things, or you start becoming shaky, it may be time for you to get to the hospital. If you have a doctor then you must let them know what you're doing before you stop so that you're able to get medications and they can monitor you just in case things like your blood pressure get out of line.

If dealing with your alcohol problem is something you needed done, then the above text should have helped. It's going to be a little bit tough, but you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Don't let this type of problem ruin your life any longer!

Working With An Alcohol Abuse Issue

If you'd like to learn a little bit about alcoholism, then you've come to the right place. There are many signs that you can see in someone with an alcohol problem. If you or someone you know is dealing with alcohol abuse, then now is the time to seek out help.

You can tell if you're an alcoholic if you can't imagine doing certain things without having a few drinks in you. Even if you just have a glass of wine two or three times a night, you may be dealing with an alcohol problem. Just see if you're able to make it through things without a drink. If you find that it's a crutch you use because it helps you mingle with people, then know that there are medications that are safer than alcohol that can help you with these underlying problems you may be self medicating to get rid of.

Look at your monthly budget to see if you have to have a lot of money set aside to get the drinks you need. If you find that a good portion of your income goes towards getting drunk or paying for bar tabs, you may want to talk to a doctor about what you can do to quit drinking. Stopping drinking all at once is a very dangerous thing. It's one of the few withdrawals that can kill you, so go check into a hospital if you don't have a doctor and wish to detox from alcohol.

It shouldn't be hard to figure out now if you have a problem and need treatment. It's not easy to admit to yourself that you're dealing with alcoholism in any way, but once you can tell yourself that you need help you should get it right away.