What is a High Functioning Alcoholic? Traits, Signs & Symptoms

People who are high functioning with a drinking problem “seem to have everything together,” says Matt Glowiak, PhD, LCPC, a certified advanced alcohol and drug counselor. They’re able to successfully manage tasks around their work, school, family, and finances, he says. You suspect your spouse, close friend, or relative has a drinking problem.

• Over time this can teach those connected to the alcohol user not to ask as they will get no answer.
• When children are present in the home, it can and will take a toll on their mental health and emotions.
• Try not to enable your alcoholic spouse by excusing their behavior or caring for them when hungover.
• These setups can also work along with 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Some people have gone through and are going through the same situation, and they can offer insight, advice and understanding. There are groups, like Al-Anon, that offer support to people who are struggling or suffering because of a family member’s alcoholism or addiction. Your partner may choose to attend some type of rehab center or employ some other therapeutic intervention for the treatment of their alcohol misuse issues at some point. If (or when) they do, you’ll want to know what options are out there for the treatment of AUDs and what to look for in a treatment provider. ” self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with an alcohol use disorder (AUD).

How to Approach the High-Functioning Alcoholic in Your Life

That means you are always on your guard, and that can be exhausting. You may also be spending a lot of energy covering for him; perhaps you need to take care of the household finances or make excuses if he has to miss family functions or other important events because of his drinking. If you have children, you may be worried about their welfare and safety if, say, your husband has been drinking before driving them to their soccer games.

• American Addiction Centers offers a range of treatment services in facilities across the country to help treat alcohol use disorders.
• An intervention happens when someone’s family members and friends come together to convince the addict to get help.
• Although they still have a job, their performance is probably not what it used to be.
• Alcoholism can take a devastating toll on a person’s physical health, emotional well-being, personal relationships and professional life.

The most in-depth care allows you to live full time at a treatment facility. These setups can also work along with 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Relating to other people with substance abuse issues may help someone break through denial and begin to recover. When you call functional alcoholic husband our helpline, you’ll be connected with a representative who can assist you in finding mental health and addiction treatment resources at any of the Ark Behavioral Health addiction treatment facilities. Regular and frequent use of alcohol can lead to poor choices, such as drunk driving.

Effects of Alcoholism on the Family

However, if your husband is in denial about the extent of his drinking, then he may not be ready or willing to consider seeking treatment. Treatment programs at The Recovery Village include a full spectrum of alcohol recovery services, from alcohol detox to rehab, aftercare and sober housing. When you’re ready to seek help, or if you have questions about how to live with an alcoholic, we’re here for you. Perhaps the safest method of approaching someone with a suspected substance use disorder is to perform a substance use disorder intervention. A substance use disorder intervention is a method of attempting to get an individual into treatment, orchestrated by the person’s family members and close friends. Individuals who might fall into the “functional” subclass of alcohol use disorders are often not readily going to admit that their alcohol use is problematic for them.

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. The latent class analysis model indicated that 19 percent of the individuals in the sample were classified in the functional alcoholic subtype. This figure is often mistakenly quoted as being that 19 percent of all individuals with alcohol use disorders (alcoholism) are functional alcoholics. However, that type of generalization is inappropriate as the method to procure the participants for the research does not allow for it. Keep in mind that even if you have the best of intentions, there’s a good chance your alcoholic partner might not be receptive to your offers of help.

Impact of Being a Functional Alcoholic

According to the book Understanding the High-functioning Alcoholic, which built on the basic factors identified in the latent class analysis model, high-functioning alcoholics have certain characteristics. In fact, functional alcoholics are often people who seem to ‘have it all; they maintain a busy social life, work hard at their careers and are often well-liked by their neighbors. These are people who tend to be well-educated and intelligent, and they are most likely in denial about the scope of their drinking problem. Functional alcoholics often drink heavily to mask serious mental health issues such as anxiety, an eating disorder or a dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder).

When a loved one has a drinking problem, it’s hard to know how to help, especially if they are in denial. You nor your loved one are under any obligation to commit to an Ark Behavioral Health treatment program when calling our helpline. Finally, make a decision about how to handle your spouse’s treatment, and stick with it.

You are not responsible for your partner’s drinking problem, but you are responsible for making sure your behavior isn’t contributing to it. And of course, if there is any violence or domestic abuse in the home, leave immediately and go to a shelter or other safe place. Once I finally came clean about my husband’s addiction, family, friends and colleagues reached out to comfort, sympathize, empathize.

There may come a point where the HFA in your life is unwilling to seek help and is continuing to drink alcoholically despite your efforts to offer help. Therefore, you may need to set clear limits and, for example, state that you will not spend time with them when they are drinking or take a break from your relationship with them (romantic or friendship) until they get help. If you make it clear that your loved one’s drinking is leading you to put distance in your relationship, it may have an impact as well as protect you from the emotional toll of having an active alcoholic in your life. Just because you open up about this issue does not mean the HFA in your life will immediately get help.