phr
Ex-Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 25, 2004
- Messages
- 36,682
Holding It Together While Falling Apart
Kristen McGuiness
The Fix
At the bitter depth of Emily’s drinking problem, she was married to a successful writer, raising a nine-year-old child, and volunteering as a part-time teacher at her daughter’s school, all while running the household finances. “We had a million-dollar house, were part of the community, and I believed that as long as my child was well-dressed and doing well and I made it to her little events, I was doing okay,” she says. “Never mind that every time I would drop her off at school, I rushed to the liquor store to pick up a fifth of vodka.”
Emily is not alone. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) 2007 study, 19.5% of all alcoholics—nearly four million people—are of the “functional” subtype. These high-functioning alcoholics are able to create enough manageability within their home or professional lives that the consequences of their drinking are often too subtle or well hidden for them to experience the turmoil that forces many other alcoholics into submission.
According to Dr. Mark Willenbring, a nationally recognized expert on alcohol abuse and the former director of the NIAAA's division of treatment and recovery research, “Alcoholism isn’t what it used to be. We think of alcoholism as this really dramatic, debilitating disorder, but actually there is a wide range of alcoholism, from moderate drinking to at-risk drinking. Every alcoholic isn’t Mel Gibson or Lindsey Lohan—people who are really train wrecks. Many high-functioners try to set limits but inevitably they go over them. They want to quit but they can't. They might suffer from hangovers, insomnia, or heartburn, but they don’t experience the same life-disrupting problems that befall other addicts. So unless they get a real wake-up call, they just end up pursuing the same path.”
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Link!
Kristen McGuiness
The Fix
At the bitter depth of Emily’s drinking problem, she was married to a successful writer, raising a nine-year-old child, and volunteering as a part-time teacher at her daughter’s school, all while running the household finances. “We had a million-dollar house, were part of the community, and I believed that as long as my child was well-dressed and doing well and I made it to her little events, I was doing okay,” she says. “Never mind that every time I would drop her off at school, I rushed to the liquor store to pick up a fifth of vodka.”
Emily is not alone. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) 2007 study, 19.5% of all alcoholics—nearly four million people—are of the “functional” subtype. These high-functioning alcoholics are able to create enough manageability within their home or professional lives that the consequences of their drinking are often too subtle or well hidden for them to experience the turmoil that forces many other alcoholics into submission.
According to Dr. Mark Willenbring, a nationally recognized expert on alcohol abuse and the former director of the NIAAA's division of treatment and recovery research, “Alcoholism isn’t what it used to be. We think of alcoholism as this really dramatic, debilitating disorder, but actually there is a wide range of alcoholism, from moderate drinking to at-risk drinking. Every alcoholic isn’t Mel Gibson or Lindsey Lohan—people who are really train wrecks. Many high-functioners try to set limits but inevitably they go over them. They want to quit but they can't. They might suffer from hangovers, insomnia, or heartburn, but they don’t experience the same life-disrupting problems that befall other addicts. So unless they get a real wake-up call, they just end up pursuing the same path.”
...
Link!
