Functional Alcoholism: Impacts Of Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) can be a very common mental health condition. However, the stigma and misinformation surrounding alcohol use disorder and what it looks like can stop people from getting the help they deserve. The term “functional alcoholism” may be outdated, but it generally refers to a person who misuses alcohol but still maintains a career and other responsibilities. Alcohol use disorders often come with a variety of negative impacts on health and other areas of life, so it can be crucial to seek help if you believe you may be living with one. Online therapy can be a convenient way to connect with a licensed therapist from the location of your choice.

What are the signs of functional alcoholism?

People with alcohol use disorder, or those who misuse alcohol, might be high functioning, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have a problem. This may look like a person who maintains employment or otherwise maintains a life that is seen as socially acceptable despite alcohol misuse. 

The term “functional alcoholic” is one that is generally seen as outdated. What may still be relevant to note is that someone can function despite living with alcohol use disorder or experiencing alcohol misuse, and it does not mean that they don’t have a problem, don’t need help, or won’t face eventual, and potentially devastating, consequences because of their drinking. 

Someone who functions in their daily life despite alcohol abuse or misuse may meet the full criteria for alcohol use disorder, or they may show some of the signs of it.

Recognizing the signs of alcohol dependency in yourself

How can you identify the signs in yourself? Understanding the signs of alcohol use disorder and reflecting on your relationship with alcohol may be the first step. Over the course of the past year, have you:

• Drank more than you wanted to or drank for a longer duration of time than intended?
• Experienced a desire to stop drinking or cut back, but were unable to do so?
• Spent a great deal of time drinking, recovering from alcohol use, or obtaining alcohol?
• Experienced a desire to drink so strong that you couldn’t think about anything else?
• Found that drinking (or being ill because of drinking) interfered with personal obligations, such as work and education-related obligations or caring for yourself, your home, or your family?
• Continued to drink despite it causing problems in interpersonal relationships (including relationships with friends, family, or romantic partners)?
• Cut back or stopped engaging in activities that were once important, interesting, or pleasurable to you due to time spent on drinking or alcohol?
• Experienced withdrawal symptoms (such as nausea, shaking, restlessness, racing heart, seizures, trouble sleeping, or sweating) when the effects of alcohol wore off or began wearing off?
• More than once entered situations during or after the consumption of alcohol that increased your risk of getting hurt? For example, driving, using heavy machinery, or having unsafe sex?
• Continued to drink despite mental or physical health concerns, such as memory blackouts, feelings of depression, and so on?
• Had to drink much more than you needed to in the past to get the effect you wanted, or found that the same amount of alcohol has less of an effect than it did before?

If you identify with two or more of the above symptoms, it may indicate alcohol use disorder. Experiencing two or three of the above symptoms may indicate mild alcohol use disorder, whereas four or five symptoms may indicate moderate alcohol use disorder, and severe alcohol use disorder is usually marked by six or more symptoms.

Getting treatment and support for alcohol dependency 

It can be important to speak with a medical or mental health professional if you identify with the signs and symptoms above, regardless of whether you feel that your functioning and relationships are impacted. When possible, early detection can be beneficial in curbing some of the long-term effects of alcohol misuse. An individual may say that they are fine or that they don’t need help with alcohol because they’re able to function at work, school, or other areas of life, but that does not always negate the potential negative impacts of excessive alcohol consumption, nor does it mean that a person doesn’t need help.

Impacts of excess alcohol consumption on mental health and well-being

In a world where alcohol misuse can often be normalized, it can be tempting to push the potential impacts aside, but they can be serious and should be acknowledged. Here is what we know about the effects of excess alcohol consumption:

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3% of deaths every year may be due to the harmful use of alcohol. Among those between 20 and 39 years of age, roughly 13.5% of total deaths are attributable to alcohol.

• The use of alcohol, and especially the excessive use of alcohol, is a factor that tends to increase the risk of a wide range of physical conditions. These may include, but are not limited to, diabetes, GI problems, heart disease, stroke, and various types of cancer, such as breast cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, and throat cancer.

• The use of alcohol, and especially the excessive use of alcohol, can increase the risk of or worsen mental health conditions and concerns, such as depression.

• Excessive alcohol use can affect memory and learning. It can even increase the risk of developing dementia.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the possible effects of alcohol. Other notable impacts can include, but aren’t restricted to, the weakening of the immune system, problems in interpersonal relationships, and an increased risk of injury or accidents. Please note that people who face alcohol use disorder or engage in unhealthy drinking patterns aren’t alone, and it’s possible to move forward.

Healthy ways to move forward towards recovery 

Healing from alcohol use disorder or an otherwise unhealthy relationship with alcohol can be a process. Moving forward may include several steps, including thinking about what you want your life to look like in the future and reflecting on how alcohol use has impacted or currently impacts your life. 

Moving through grief

It can be normal to experience a sense of grief during this time, and due to chemical changes in the brain as well as the process of healing, many find that they experience depression symptoms when they stop drinking. This can be common, and it does not necessarily last forever. If you live with another mental health condition or concern, such as anxiety or depression, a mental health professional can help. 

There’s generally a known connection between substance use disorders and other mental health conditions, and whether or not you attend inpatient treatment, these can be addressed accordingly with your care team.

Using healthy coping skills instead of drinking

Identifying and using tools and healthy outlets can be an important part of moving forward from alcohol use disorder. Likely, you have been able to reflect on the role alcohol plays or has played in your life. Maybe you used it in part to curb nervousness in social situations, escape from feeling overwhelmed, or drown out feelings of sadness and guilt. 

It can now be vital to find healthy coping skills and outlets that can help you sit with and move through these feelings. Coping skills and outlets can include creative outlets, like journaling and art, talking to other people and turning to your support system, or engaging in physical activity. A therapist can help with self-compassion, self-talk, interpersonal relationships, goal setting, and establishing coping skills or outlets that are healthy for you as a unique individual.

Building a support team

Many individuals find that building a support system of mental health professionals, sponsors, peers, and other people in their lives who can support them through this process can be a crucial part of moving forward healthily. You may meet these individuals inside or outside of treatment settings. Everyone may have a different path to healing, and depending on who you are, it can include a few different pieces, such as support groups, outpatient individual and/or group therapy, inpatient treatment, and other forms of support. 

All in all, it can be imperative to remember that it’s crucial, and very possible, to heal—and you don’t have to do it on your own.

Benefits of online therapy for functional alcoholism

It can be challenging when someone in your life faces concerns related to alcohol use or alcohol use disorder. If someone in your life lives with alcohol use disorder, or if you would like to discuss something else that’s on your mind with a licensed mental health professional, online therapy may be a convenient option to consider. You can attend sessions from any location with an internet connection at a time that fits your schedule. An online therapy platform may also make it simple to connect with a therapist who has experience helping others with alcohol use disorder.

Effectiveness of online therapy

According to a 2017 study, online therapy may be an effective form of treatment for alcohol use disorders. This study joins a growing body of evidence suggesting that online and face-to-face therapy can be similarly effective in treating a wide range of mental health disorders and concerns.

Takeaway

Functional alcoholism may refer to having an alcohol use disorder, but being able to maintain employment and take care of other responsibilities. Whether a person may be considered “functional” or not, all of those living with alcohol use disorders generally deserve treatment to combat the potential consequences of frequently misusing alcohol. One way to start treatment may be to work with a licensed therapist through an online therapy platform.