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Your life might look great from the outside. You pay your bills and take care of your kids. However, you might secretly need a few drinks to handle the stress. Admitting you are a high-functioning alcoholic is really hard. In fact, it can feel exhausting. Ultimately, pretending everything is perfect feels like wearing a heavy mask all day long.

At Empower Health Group, we know this hidden pain very well. Often, outward wins hide deep, silent hurts. This is why our kind team wants to help you feel better. We help all types of people fix their lives. Most importantly, we do this without making them feel bad or ashamed.

What Exactly Is a High-Functioning Alcoholic?

Usually, people think of a drunk person as someone sleeping on the street. This is a myth, as the truth is much more complicated than that. Many individuals misunderstand the differences between functioning vs. non-functioning alcoholics. Doctors often consider high-functioning alcohol use disorder as a hidden problem.¹ It’s almost like having a shiny apple with a rotten core.

Spotting the Tricky Behaviors

Many times, people stop and ask themselves, “Am I a functioning alcoholic?” To answer correctly, you really need to spot those tricky functioning alcoholic traits. For instance, common signs of a functioning alcoholic include drinking just to relax. You must also look closely for the hidden signs of alcoholism. For example, you might set strict drinking rules but break them fast.

You can learn more by comparing binge drinking vs. heavy drinking. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares simple rules about safe drinking limits to check.²

The Trap of Functioning Alcoholic Denial

Saying “I don’t have a problem” is a strong shield. When a professional with alcohol problem behaviors does well at work, they often ignore the truth. Consequently, this functioning alcoholic’s denial lets them keep drinking without seeing the issue. 

A high-functioning addiction is like driving a car with no oil. When the oil well runs dry, the car no longer works. With a high-functioning alcoholic, their body will eventually break down.³ You can see details about how the body reacts to alcoholism on the types of alcohol abuse spectrum.

The Home View: Living With a Functioning Alcoholic

Drinking problems hurt the whole family, not just one person. Sadly, living with a functioning alcoholic can feel very lonely for spouses and kids. Friends only see a happy, busy person on the outside, but the mask slips at home. Meanwhile, surviving a functional alcoholic relationship takes so much patience.

If you want to know how to help a functioning alcoholic, don’t just fix their messes. Instead, start by kindly talking about any clearly visible signs of illness without yelling.⁴

Treatment for High-Functioning Alcoholics: Redefining Success

Asking for a hand doesn’t erase your hard work. Actually, getting treatment for high-functioning alcoholics is a very brave choice. Seeking support at Empower if you are a high-functioning alcoholic doesn’t mean you’re weak. Rather, it just means you’re fixing a real sickness with our top alcohol addiction treatment.

Every high-functioning alcoholic deserves a chance to truly thrive. This is why our intensive outpatient program (IOP) lets you heal while keeping your daily routine.

Why Stopping Cold Turkey Isn’t a Viable Option

Stopping alcohol suddenly can cause alcohol withdrawal seizures. A seizure is like an electrical storm in the brain. It makes your body shake out of your control. Also, a person might get delirium tremens (DTs). This sickness makes the brain so confused that you see things that aren’t there. It feels much like a terrible waking nightmare. 

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