Highly Functioning Alcoholics: The Dangers
A highly functioning alcoholic is a person where most people in the life of the drinker are not aware there is a problem.
This is because highly functioning alcoholics do not let their alcoholism interfere with their ability to carry on normal daily activities.
They perform satisfactorily in their jobs, maintain a home and family relationships, remain free from legal troubles and balance their finances.
However, because they are able to do all of these things while drinking with no seeming effect, they take greater risks than many people, including drinking on the job or driving while under the influence.
There are other serious long-term consequences as well that affect not only the life of the alcoholic, but the lives of the people and communities they are associated with.
While many highly functioning alcoholics lead seemingly productive lives, they often are unaware that the people who suffer the most from their problem are their children.
According to addiction experts, children of alcoholics are genetically predisposed to addiction and alcoholism.
When raised in an environment where a parent is a regular drinker, the chances of the child developing an addiction or alcoholism increase dramatically.
Multiple active alcoholics in a single family can have extremely destructive effects that ultimately lead to the worsening of current addiction or alcohol abuse related problems.
Additionally, because children of alcoholics are raised with the apparent normalcy of alcoholism, they often do not develop the aversion to the problem that others do.
Highly functioning alcoholics are generally very confident people - when drinking - and therefore do not believe that their drinking is harming them or anyone around them.
However, there are three primary areas that are impacted severely by alcoholism: *Economic Regular drinkers are often unaware how much money they spend on alcohol.
Over a period of ten years, a person who drinks the equivalent of 8 beers per day will spend as much as $60,000 to service their alcoholism.
For liquor drinkers the costs could be even higher.
These expenditures are often the source of unnecessary economic hardship, but most alcoholics ignore this important connection.
*Health People who suffer from alcoholism put themselves at great risk of serious, potentially fatal health consequences.
In fact, most highly functioning alcoholics who do not stop drinking die of health problems related to drinking, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, heart disease, gout, high blood pressure and other serious conditions.
*Detox Risk Once a person becomes addicted to alcohol, it can actually be dangerous to quit drinking on their own.
This is because the side effects of detox can be so severe - including tremors, cardiac arrest and grand mal seizures - that death does occur from time to time.
This means that detox must always occur in a professional, medically equipped setting.
Highly functioning alcoholics hurt their families - especially their children - their economic standing, their health, and their ability to control their own life.
If this is happening to someone you know, the sooner you get help for them, the less severe these risks become.
Take action now.
This is because highly functioning alcoholics do not let their alcoholism interfere with their ability to carry on normal daily activities.
They perform satisfactorily in their jobs, maintain a home and family relationships, remain free from legal troubles and balance their finances.
However, because they are able to do all of these things while drinking with no seeming effect, they take greater risks than many people, including drinking on the job or driving while under the influence.
There are other serious long-term consequences as well that affect not only the life of the alcoholic, but the lives of the people and communities they are associated with.
While many highly functioning alcoholics lead seemingly productive lives, they often are unaware that the people who suffer the most from their problem are their children.
According to addiction experts, children of alcoholics are genetically predisposed to addiction and alcoholism.
When raised in an environment where a parent is a regular drinker, the chances of the child developing an addiction or alcoholism increase dramatically.
Multiple active alcoholics in a single family can have extremely destructive effects that ultimately lead to the worsening of current addiction or alcohol abuse related problems.
Additionally, because children of alcoholics are raised with the apparent normalcy of alcoholism, they often do not develop the aversion to the problem that others do.
Highly functioning alcoholics are generally very confident people - when drinking - and therefore do not believe that their drinking is harming them or anyone around them.
However, there are three primary areas that are impacted severely by alcoholism: *Economic Regular drinkers are often unaware how much money they spend on alcohol.
Over a period of ten years, a person who drinks the equivalent of 8 beers per day will spend as much as $60,000 to service their alcoholism.
For liquor drinkers the costs could be even higher.
These expenditures are often the source of unnecessary economic hardship, but most alcoholics ignore this important connection.
*Health People who suffer from alcoholism put themselves at great risk of serious, potentially fatal health consequences.
In fact, most highly functioning alcoholics who do not stop drinking die of health problems related to drinking, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, heart disease, gout, high blood pressure and other serious conditions.
*Detox Risk Once a person becomes addicted to alcohol, it can actually be dangerous to quit drinking on their own.
This is because the side effects of detox can be so severe - including tremors, cardiac arrest and grand mal seizures - that death does occur from time to time.
This means that detox must always occur in a professional, medically equipped setting.
Highly functioning alcoholics hurt their families - especially their children - their economic standing, their health, and their ability to control their own life.
If this is happening to someone you know, the sooner you get help for them, the less severe these risks become.
Take action now.
