Even if you are aware that your drinking has become a problem, it’s common to worry about what others might think. In a 2015 study, almost 29% of participants didn’t seek treatment due to stigma or shame. What might look like denial may actually be a lot more complicated and multilayered for people with high-functioning AUD. While some struggle with their addiction, others can live successful lives. Twenty years ago today, I woke up from a typical alcohol-induced blackout in an apartment I did not recognize in an unfamiliar Boston neighborhood.

1. Both residential and outpatient day treatment programs are available for those in recovery.
2. Peer pressure and easy availability of alcohol can increase the risk of developing an AUD.
3. Distancing yourself can seem selfish, but you have to look out for your own well-being before you can help someone else.
4. High-functioning alcoholics can benefit from having an at-home support system before, during and after any form of treatment for their addiction.
5. High-functioning alcoholics (HFAs) defy these stereotypes and often go undetected because they do not fit the image of the “typical” alcoholic.

What Part Does Denial Play in Alcoholism?

Most people with alcohol addiction have trouble keeping up with work. They lose track of friendships and prioritize time with alcohol over family time. Functional alcoholics are often intelligent, hardworking and well-educated. the ultimate guide to alcohol recovery books Their professional status or personal success can make it hard to approach them about having a “problem” with alcohol. Regardless of whether the person can function in some aspects of life, alcoholism is a serious disease.

Is it Possible to Effect Change When a Loved One Has an Addiction?

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 dandruff diagnosis and treatment abuse, their body will still suffer. Long-term, chronic drinking damages a person’s brain, heart, liver, and other vital organs. High-functioning alcoholics who drink for decades risks developing cirrhosis, cancer, and heart disease.

What if your loved one refuses?

There is a difference between someone who suffers from high-functioning alcoholism and someone who simply enjoys drinking alcohol. High-functioning alcoholics crave alcohol, develop tolerance to it over time, and experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop drinking. High-functioning alcoholics drink because they “need to drink,” not always because they want to drink. Although you may still hear people talking about “alcoholism” or “alcohol abuse,” the official term is alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Distancing yourself can seem selfish, but you have to look out for your own well-being before you can help someone else. We receive advertising fees from purchases through BetterHelp links. Anger and frustration can be tough emotions when supporting someone with AUD.

For instance, the alcoholic may be denied visitation rights or may be faced with a marital separation if he decides not to seek help. An alcoholic in denial may become extremely manipulative, tearful, angry or hostile when faced with the need for alcohol treatment. An experienced intervention specialist can help the participants prepare for these reactions so they can respond effectively. High-functioning alcoholics will rarely admit that they have a problem. But if someone in your life has three or more alcoholic beverages per day (two or more for women), they are consuming more than the recommended amount. Dietary Guidelines define moderate drinking as one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.

For example, a family history of alcoholism or a stressful environment. Although a person with high-functioning alcoholism may appear fine, they are not. The signs and symptoms listed above should be a good indicator of high-functioning alcoholism. Because of this appearance, their problem doesn’t seem as severe as other types of alcoholism. A high-functioning alcoholic will usually appear healthy despite consuming large amounts of alcohol. One of the symptoms of an alcohol problem or Alcohol Use Disorder is when individuals make “rules” around their drinking.

Recovered.org provides an anonymous online evaluation tool to check if drinking has become problematic and provides further resources for help and support. The NIAAA offers a range of assessment tools and strategies to help people understand their drinking patterns, reduce their drinking, or quit completely. It is important to note that these signs may not be obvious to a loved one or friend. This is because people can be skillful at hiding the signs of an issue with alcohol.

For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For some people, AUD may also mean more than physical dependence, but a stress reliever or source of psychological escape.

When you’re ready to seek help, or if you have questions about how to live with an alcoholic, we’re here for you. My understanding of HFAs is also from a personal perspective—I have been in recovery from alcoholism for almost five years. I, too, struggled art therapy for addiction to see that I could be accomplished academically and then professionally while drinking alcoholically. My image of the alcoholic was always an individual who could not hold his or her life together, and I certainly did not fit that description.