Maybe you have a friend who always seems to drink an incredible amount of alcohol and yet still performs well in a corporate role at a prestigious company. Or maybe you know someone who smokes an alarming amount of marijuana but seems well-adjusted and successful. You might even know of a parent who relies on illicit or prescribed opioids to get through the day yet still seems to meet all responsibilities and have good relationships with their children.
Or maybe you see yourself in one of these descriptions. People who use substances heavily and appear unaffected by them have been dubbed “high-functioning addicts.” They seem to perform well in life despite their substance use. They may juggle their romantic, familial, professional, and social lives with uncanny balance and success—for a time.
What is So-Called High Functioning Addiction?
Firstly, functioning or high-functioning addiction isn’t an official medical term, and it can be seen as outdated and judgemental to refer to someone as an addict. That said, the term “high-functioning addiction” is useful in that it helps us understand a particular stage of addiction. This stage is characterized by the person’s ability to do the following while abusing or misusing substances:
- Have success at their job or career
- Build a happy, healthy home and family
- Maintain rich, supportive friendships and familial connections
- Benefit and support their larger community, financially or otherwise
The key point here is that high-functioning addiction is just one step on the path of addiction. It doesn’t last. At some point, the substances will dominate the will and ability to maintain a sense of normalcy.
The downside of this stage of addiction is that it leads people to deny that they have a substance use problem–and thus deny treatment. But the longer a substance use disorder remains untreated, the more the negative consequences accumulate. Over time, addiction will break down every success you have built.
High-Functioning Addiction as a Step on a Progressive Scale
Many addictions follow a cyclical pattern:
- There’s an initial honeymoon phase, where the person experiences great relief, social relaxation, anxiety reduction, or an absence of pain when consuming the substance.
- This phase eventually ends, transitioning into a withdrawal phase. This may trigger feelings of anxiety, anger, depression—or physical symptoms like migraines, fatigue, or insomnia.
- This phase morphs into an anticipation phase, where the person begins to seek the substance out once more and use it to return to the honeymoon phase.
Unfortunately, with constant cycles that always lead back to substance abuse, the body and brain begin to take powerful hits. Eventually, people sink lower and lower, with misuse becoming more and more severe.
How To Help Someone with High-Functioning Addiction Enter Treatment
Understanding the warning signs of a functioning addiction helps clarify whether or not the person needs to enter residential treatment. Know the signs:
- Women who drink 3+ alcoholic drinks a day or 7+ drinks a week; men who drink 4+ alcoholic drinks a day or 14+ drinks a week
- There’s a running joke that the person has a substance problem
- The person needs the substance to calm down, relax, or feel confident, and they become angry or secretive when confronted about their use
- The person uses the substance in the morning, throughout the day, and/or alone
- The person experiences frequent blackouts, has legal problems as a result of using, or has lost or damaged relationships due to using
Additionally, you can count on St. Gregory Recovery Center for support and education on this topic. Contact us today to learn more about what our Des Moines-based inpatient programs and intensive outpatient options in Bayard can do to support someone who may be in denial about their SUD.
