A person who is a true “functioning alcoholic” can be hard to detect because while these folks have a problem, they appear to be successful and can hold it all together. Most of the time though, if someone close to you is a functioning alcoholic you most likely will have suspicions even if you aren’t fully sure. There are signs that you can look for that will help you understand if you’re seeing a problem with a friend, family member, or partner who is struggling with alcohol addiction.
When we think of an alcoholic we often think of someone who is unkempt, maybe even homeless, and who is stumbling around all day, unable to work or accomplish anything. In some cases this picture is true, but in most cases, it is a portrait that is far from the reality of how many alcoholics appear. Many people struggle with alcohol addiction but can still be highly functional in life, so much so that others around them are completely unaware that a problem exists.
What Are The Signs A Loved One Is a Functioning Alcoholic?
If you are in a position where you believe that someone you love could potentially have a problem with alcohol, the realization is a painful one. It is only natural to want those you love to be fine and not want to admit that an issue exists. It is easy to brush the warning signs under the rug, ignore them, or even enable them. The harder decision is to actively identify the problem exists and do something about it by being the conduit for your loved one to obtain help. The sooner your loved one gets the help they need, the sooner they can come back to you in a positive way, and the sooner they can be healthy again.
Listed below are some of the warning signs to look out for:
- Inability to stop drinking or control the amount of alcohol consumed.
- Lying about drinking or being deceptive about the amount of alcohol drunk.
- Hiding alcohol.
- Obsessing over drinking.
- Blackouts that happen regularly.
- Personality changes and mood swings when intoxicated.
- Making excuses about behavior while intoxicated.
- Drinking alone.
- Drinking to cope with problems.
- Having withdrawal symptoms.
There Is hope To Recover From An Alcohol Abuse Problem
High functioning alcoholics are those that can abuse alcohol while still keeping together relationships and work. These individuals will hide their use of alcohol so that it doesn’t affect their daily life. These individuals often don’t believe they have a problem because they do so well in other aspects of their lives. Confronting a high-functioning alcoholic can be difficult, especially if they don’t think that they have an issue with alcohol.
When you feel that you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction to alcohol, you can’t allow it to continue without addressing it. Help can be found.
The medical detox and addiction alternative treatment center at Discovery Place is a safe and caring environment. Discovery Place’s Tennessee addiction alternative treatment center’s programs are designed to help individuals be successful throughout treatment and into the future.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, call our Tennessee detox alternative treatment center today at 1-800-725-0922.
