Functional alcoholism is the set of problematic alcohol consumption patterns that do not seem obvious before the person and their environment. Many people have problems with alcohol and have begun to develop dependence, but since they perceive themselves as “functional” in their daily lives, they have very low risk awareness.
Most people, when they think of “alcoholism,” imagine homeless people drinking from a carton of wine next to garbage containers, or they imagine a person who has lost their job after their family abandoned them.
People usually imagine the most extreme and obvious cases that appear in the movies, but they do not suspect that problems with alcohol can be much more subtle and that they do not start overnight: problems with alcohol develop over time. over several years, normalizing a series of behaviors and creating habits and rituals around alcohol consumption.
Below are some symptoms of alcohol problems that may go unnoticed by many people.
1. You drink alcohol often
Any excuse seems good to take a beer out of the fridge or open a bottle of wine There are people who drink alcohol with meals, because they have been made to believe that it is part of the “Mediterranean diet” and that it is even good for their health (it is a lie: alcohol consumption is toxic and carcinogenic in any dose, no matter how moderate). whatever you think).
There are people who have normalized alcohol consumption so much that they drink any day or anywhere, not just on weekends or at social events or parties.
2. You drink alcohol in large quantities
I have worked in therapy with hundreds of people who “didn’t know how to stop drinking” after ordering their first drink. And those behaviors didn’t set off his alarm bells because many of his friends did exactly the same thing, drinking a lot of alcohol. It is like that popular saying: “the evil of many, the consolation of fools.” When we live in an environment that sees extreme alcohol consumption (binge drinking) as normal, it is much more difficult that we consider our relationship with alcohol because we will compare ourselves to other people and think “there are people worse than me” or “I’m not the one who drinks the most in the group.”
3. Almost all your plans revolve around alcohol
There are many people with functional alcoholism who They don’t know how to enjoy life without alcohol
They may be people who are apparently “athletic” but who drink a few beers after all their workouts, or who, despite cycling several kilometers every weekend, still have a big “beer belly” because they only use physical activity as a source of energy. an excuse to drink large amounts of alcohol after exercise.
They may also be people who feel unable to go out to dinner or eat with their friends or partner without ordering alcoholic drinks. They also don’t mind being the only ones drinking alcohol at the table.
4. You surround yourself almost exclusively with “heavy drinkers”
As I said before, it is very common for people with alcohol problems to hang out with each other. Drinking alcohol is a very social thing and most people feel much less guilty about drinking alcohol if they do it in a group and if their friends get as drunk as they do.
5. You pressure other people to drink alcohol
There are people with functional alcoholism who feel very uncomfortable when they come across people who are teetotal or who drink little alcohol. This often makes them think about their own difficulties in choosing not to drink alcohol, so they tend to pressure other people to drink. And if they don’t drink, they stay away from them or don’t call them back. For them, drinking alcohol regularly is an essential requirement to establish a friendship with someone
6. Some people have expressed concern about your drinking
If someone around you has ever been worried about your drinking, in 99% of cases they are right. For you, alcohol consumption is so normalized that it has become a “blind spot” for you, even though your dependence on alcohol is already obvious to the people around you.
If someone has hinted to you that you sometimes drink too much, listen to them and change it before it’s too late.
7. You continue drinking despite problems
For many people with functional alcoholism, having memory lapses, fighting, or driving under the influence is completely normal. But They almost always find excuses to blame other people for their problems
They will avoid at all costs taking responsibility for their “accidents” and relating them to their relationship with alcohol. Unfortunately, many people with alcoholism only react when they have hit rock bottom or a loved one gives them an ultimatum (most commonly, their partners threaten to end the relationship if they don’t stop drinking).
How to Overcome Functional Alcoholism (Before It’s Too Late)
If you meet any of the signs I have described in this article, ask for help. My name is Luis Miguel Real, and I am an addiction psychologist who has helped hundreds of people quit alcohol and enjoy life again without drinking. Contact me and I will help you take the first steps to stop depending on alcohol to be happy.
