Excuses and Signs of the High-Functioning Alcoholic

Friends and family members play vital roles in the recovery process. We offer a variety of resources for friends and families of those who may be struggling with an addiction. Refusing to deny the alcoholism also means admitting to the effects that living with an alcoholic, or caring for an alcoholic, has on you and your family. Dealing with an alcoholic also means dealing with alcoholism’s effects in an honest way. You should also go into the conversation with the awareness your loved one’s denial may continue.

Many people find themselves in denial about their addiction because it protects them from the painful reality that alcohol has taken control over their lives. If a person doesn’t believe that his or her substance use is a problem, he or she won’t have motivation to get the necessary help to quit. Denial is a refusal to admit the truth or the reality of the situation – and in addiction, it’s a strong defense mechanism. Those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol often become masters at using denial in order to protect their addictions. It can be painful to watch a loved one struggle with alcohol addiction.

Table 3.

Using data from two generations of the San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS), we compared AUD subjects who considered themselves non-problematic drinkers (Group 1) with those with AUDs who acknowledged a general alcohol problem (Group 2). Comparisons included demography, alcohol-related patterns and problems, drug use, as well as impulsivity and sensation seeking. Variables https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcoholism-statistics-you-need-to-know/ were first evaluated as univariate characteristics after which significant group differences were entered in logistic regression analyses. Another reason someone with alcohol addiction may blame others is to cope with their underlying guilt. Feelings of guilt and shame commonly underlie alcoholism, and they occur when an alcoholic blames themself for their addiction.

Stage two denial is when a person denies the need for ongoing sobriety support after treatment is completed. It is important to understand that good intentions in treatment do not guarantee program action after discharge. Once out from under the influence of the peer group in treatment, sonic people will go their own way. They will never attend a single support meeting in their home community, unless they have a profound change in their inner perception of both the problem and its corresponding solution.

What Is a Highly Functional Alcoholic?

Many people who start rehab are resistant to it in one way or another. That includes people not in denial about their addiction symptoms. For many who struggle with alcohol use disorder, it’s much easier to pretend that the problem doesn’t exist. That way, there’s no need to denial in alcoholism make major lifestyle changes or face difficult emotions. They don’t have to open themselves to judgment or navigate the unknown challenges of treatment. And denial doesn’t only come from people who struggle with drinking; their family and friends are sometimes in denial too.

Holding your loved one responsible for his own actions and the consequences could help reduce the strength of his denial of the fact that he is an alcoholic. Denial is the defense they use to protect themselves from ridicule, guilt, and change. Many alcoholics in denial believe their own arguments, though no one else does. Everyone around them can see it, but they still hold onto their denial. No matter how bad the current situation is, we often fear change more than anything. By remaining in denial, an alcoholic doesn’t need to face the unknown.

Secondary Denial

Although from the outside, it may appear that a person with high-functioning alcoholism is fine – they are not. Functioning alcoholics are still alcoholics, addicted to alcohol. Often times, they may try to quit on their own, but unpleasant and dangerous withdrawal conditions put them back on the cycle to continue drinking.

Physical dependence means your loved one can’t function properly without alcohol. When they don’t drink, they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, mood swings, and shakiness. In addition, many high-functioning alcoholics (also called functional alcoholics) will argue that they can’t have alcohol use disorder because they manage to go to work, take care of their kids, or complete other daily tasks.

How to Deal with an Alcoholic – Get Help for Yourself and Those Living with an Alcoholic

Another interesting finding related to the overall differences across generations regarding the specific criteria items endorsed by AUD probands and AUD offspring in the first data columns of Tables 1 and ​and3.3. One striking finding involved the 4% of AUD probands overall who admitted to tolerance in the prior five years compared to 57% who endorsed tolerance in AUD offspring. A cursory review of tolerance reports over the years in SDPS AUD probands indicated that this variable had been endorsed by AUD probands at age 35 at a rate similar to the current AUD offspring. However, the proportions of probands who reported tolerance in the five years prior to interview decreased steadily with each subsequent interview. The key aspect of the tolerance question used here might be the emphasis on the recent five-year period.

• The risks of alcoholism are well-documented and understood by most of the population, yet addiction continues.
• However, denial appears to be an inseparable part of addiction and therefore must be understood in order to treat it effectively for the lifetime of the sufferer.
• SRE-5 scores for the first five times of drinking and is generated by the total drinks in that period needed across effects divided by the number of effects endorsed.
• In this sense, enabling means that family or friend’s actions allow the addict or alcoholic to continue their self-destructive behavior.
• Another indicator of the third stage of denial is the rejection of the steps.

For many years, when I thought of a person struggling with alcohol addiction a few stereotypical images came to mind. The third .stage of denial is dismantled by the constant recommitment to active participation in the recovery support fellowship of your choice. Spiritual denial is even more difficult to deal with because it is so hard to see. This level of denial will lock a person into compliance blocking any possibility for ongoing sobriety. The process of internalizing a new truth is more fully explained in the chapter of the three-headed dragon, head number three.

Have An Honest Conversation With Your Loved One

Addiction Denial is defined two different ways by most experts in the substance abuse field. Discerning the differences between the two is paramount in working effectively with people in treatment. In one, they’re responsible and sober, never missing a birthday or rent payment. In the other life, they’re a fall-down drunk whose alcohol consumption continues to increase each year. A high-functioning alcoholic doesn’t seem to fit any of the stereotypes. Use sentences that ensure they know you are worried and concerned about their health and well-being.

• One in five smoked cigarettes in the prior 5 years, 80% used cannabis, 19% had a cannabis use disorder, and 37% had used other illicit drugs, including 3% who developed a SUD on those substances.
• You will have to get past the denial before you can deal with addiction.