A “functioning” alcoholic refers to a person that can actively still function in everyday life while still excessively drinking. This includes managing to go to work, supporting a family, having relationships all while heavily drinking almost everyday. Discovering that your partner is struggling with high-functioning alcoholism can place you in a challenging and often lonely position. Acknowledging to yourself, “My husband is a functioning alcoholic,” is a significant and difficult realization.
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- Though this so-called “minor” addiction can be hard to identify, the right strategies can help even the most functional alcoholics recover and proceed with a more healthy lifestyle.
- It often comes as a surprise to learn that they even have a drinking problem.
Living with an alcoholic can cause rifts in even the strongest marriages. Arguments over alcohol abuse may start, and if the alcoholic’s spouse loses control of their drinking habits, there is a risk of domestic violence. It can be emotionally taxing on the alcoholic spouse to deal with the alcoholic’s mood swings, lies, or excuses, while also covering for them and picking up their slack alcoholism treatment at taking care of the home. The bottom line is, if your spouse or partner’s drinking is causing issues in both your lives, it’s time to help them seek residential addiction treatment. Acqua Recovery will help your loved one renew themselves and rediscover their life without alcohol.
Living with a High-Functioning Alcoholic: Signs and Support
For one week, simply mark down every time your loved one consumes alcohol. It might be hard if they do a lot of recreational drinking apart from you, but a casual query or survey should help https://ecosoberhouse.com/ give you a general idea of what those numbers look like. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, heavy drinking for men is defined as anything more than four drinks on any day and fourteen drinks within a week. For women, the number is three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks within a week. Alcoholism wreaks havoc on multiple levels, including physical health.
Is My Husband a Functioning Alcoholic?
If he is open to treatment, the two of you can discuss different addiction treatment types and their benefits. You may be trying to keep the peace, but these actions are actually making it easier for your husband to continue drinking. While other options are effective, a growing number of clients are seeing the benefits of in-home alcohol detox treatment. Put simply; it is taking the best of both residential and outpatient programs and placing them in the comfort of your own home.
An intervention is a process that involves a physician, an addiction counselor, or functional alcoholic husband an intervention specialist meeting with loved ones. During the intervention, encourage your spouse to seek treatment by confronting him about his alcohol addiction and how it affects you. If your husband is reluctant to seek treatment, consider an intervention. Committing to recovery takes a lot of courage, and some people may not be on board with admitting they have a problem or discussing treatment options.
- Taking efforts to repair any rifts or deficiencies in the area of communication will go a long way to helping your spouse be receptive to treatment.
- When the pain or embarrassment gets bad enough, they can no longer deny that their drinking needs to be addressed.
- People who are functional, or high functioning, alcoholics try hard to hide their disordered drinking from family members, colleagues, and friends.
An emotionally connected family member is most likely to be flooded and lacks the ability to make a proper judgment. It is best to let others who are not affected and who are experienced show you the way. A functional alcoholic will often try and control certain aspects of home life to ensure that they can comfortably continue their drinking.
Am I Married to a Functioning Alcoholic?
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. As Ireland prepares to ring in the New Year, people across the country will be coming together to mark the occasion. Whether at home, in the pub or at a family gathering it’s often a time when family and friends ‘cheers’ with a drink or two. Whether it’s your husband, wife, child, parent or roommate, alcoholism can only go on for so long, before it starts to have an impact. You worry that if you leave, he’ll self-destruct, and you love him too much despite what he puts you through.
How to Help an Alcoholic Husband Stop Drinking
Such groups can offer valuable support, encouragement, advice, and information. Usually, it is only when their continued drinking becomes more painful than the prospect of going through the pain of alcohol withdrawal, will they finally reach out for help. Chronic heavy drinkers can display a functional tolerance to the point they show few obvious signs of intoxication even at high blood alcohol concentrations, which in others would be incapacitating. If you see that he’s unwilling to commit to recovery, maybe it’s time to leave. Your partner may find it difficult to recover from alcoholism if your health and happiness is also struggling. Healthcare insurance is one of the most common ways to pay for alcoholism treatment.
