alcoholic

What's A Functioning Alcoholic? How To Tell The Difference Between Having A Drinking Problem & Staying In Control

How much is too much?

Life is hard and alcohol makes us feel like we can unwind and forget our troubles for a while. It’s popularity is understandable, and drinking cocktails, beer and wine can be fun, but we tend to get caught up in the excitement of the next new alcoholic trend and forget to ask the serious question: Are we becoming a generation of functioning alcoholics?

There are all kinds of justifications for developing a drinking problem. “I’m just a social drinker” — but do you socialize every day? "Wine is good for your health” — but how much are you drinking? 

Like any other problem, the justifications have to stop to acknowledge it.

RELATED: If You Do These 10 Things, You're Becoming An Alcoholic

So, when does drinking become a “problem”? 

Is it only when it starts to affect your health or your life? Or is it before this? Or, more importantly, should it be before this so that it doesn’t escalate into a life-shattering dilemma?

Arguably, your daily alcoholic intake should not exceed the recommended amount given by the CDC, which is “up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men," other than on special occasions. Sure, alcohol can be fun and frankly, freaking delicious, but everything good needs to be moderated.

Drinking more than recommended is generally just a risky practice. It can be good for you to have a single drink, relax, and socialize with friends and/or family because relaxing is vital to mental health and overall well-being, but alcohol is generally just empty calories that you can literally get addicted to if you’re not careful.

Have you been concerned about the amount you or a loved has been drinking lately? Maybe it’s time to look into how much is too much. When concern arises, take time to discover the difference between an alcoholic and a functioning alcoholic.

What is a “functioning alcoholic"?

The biggest difference between a "regular" alcoholic and a “functioning” alcoholic (sometimes referred to as a “high-functioning alcoholic”) rests in how alcoholism affects said person’s life.

Basically, the key difference is that a “functioning alcoholic" doesn’t fall into the “alcoholic” stereotype because on the outside, they still have their life together. Their job, family, social life, etc., are all normal and fine — sometimes even great — but they are dependent on alcohol all the same.

Is a functioning alcoholic the same thing as alcoholism?

Yes and no. Just because you're “functioning” doesn’t mean you aren’t an alcoholic. However, in ways being a functioning alcoholic is worse than what we think of when we imagine full-blown alcoholsm. If you're a high-functioning alcoholic, you tend to be in denial that you may have a problem, and it can be hard for the people that care about you to realize you have a problem in the first place.

Functioning alcoholics tend to use any success and the fact that their life isn’t in shambles to justify “not having a problem” even though they clearly drink too much. Since a functioning alcoholic doesn’t fit into the “I lost everything to alcohol” stereotypes about alcoholism, they don’t think their large consumption of alcohol is an issue.

However, a functioning alcoholic generally has enablers that may be covering up the negative sides of their drinking problem, even further justifying the alcoholism.

RELATED: People With This Color Eyes Are More Prone To Alcoholism 

Has alcoholism become a trend?

With the increasing popularity of alcohol-heavy weekend brunches and happy hours, masked alcoholism is the new trend.

In an article published earlier this year on Huffpost, the author explains how “alcohol has joined bacon and eggs as a brunch staple, with restaurants clamoring to offer bottomless cocktail deals to reel in customers.”

It’s not just drinking in excess on Friday nights anymore. Alcohol has made become an acceptable Sunday morning side.

People are also making up new words to justify their drinking.

Urban Dictionary defines “alcoholist” as: “Much different than an alcoholic. Alcoholists do not have a dependency on alcohol. They merely enjoy drinking large amounts of alcohol to reach that 'happy place,' which usually means blacking out and trying to figure out what the hell happened last night.”

So, basically an “alcoholist” is just an alcoholic in denial.

In an age that puts drinking on a pedestal, it is important to ensure your alcoholic consumption is healthy and that you are not dependent on alcohol. Learn how to identify the signs of alcoholism and draw distinct lines when it comes to how much is too much. 

RELATED: Science Says There's 4 Types Of Drinkers: Which One Are You?

Nicole Bradley-Bernard is a writer who needs coffee more than she needs anyone’s approval. She enjoys putting bright colors in her curly brown hair, spending time outside on cool days and being with her partner in life, Eric, who she considers a continuing source of inspiration.

Bloated stomach pain: The six WORST alcoholic drinks for bloating & what to drink instead

A bloated stomach usually happens after eating a big meal or drinking a lot of certain types of alcohol. Common bloat-inducing foods include junk food and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. These foods can cause excess gas and trapped wind, which can leave your tummy feeling swollen and painful. While many people experience this after a big weekend or binge, others suffer the effects of bloating after just one alcoholic drink.

“Many of us have experienced the feeling of being bloated. It often occurs after an indulgent weekend or during festive seasons, where larger amounts of eating and drinking take place,” said Rennie.

“However, bloating is not always linked to overeating and some people may suffer from bloating on a regular basis – even when they haven’t had a large meal.”

Not all types of alcohol are bloat-inducing - so what alcoholic beverages can you drink and avoid bloating?

The six worst alcoholic drinks for bloating are: beer, wine, cider, prosecco, champagne and drinks combined with carbonated mixers like cola or lemonade.

Beer, cider, prosecco, champagne and carbonated mixers get their fizz from carbon dioxide - a gas.

So guzzling large amounts of carbonated drinks means you’re taking in a lot of excess gas, leading to bloating.

In addition, these drinks have either been fermented, are high in carbohydrates or contain a lot of sugar - things which also contribute to bloating.

Fructose is one natural sugar which is added to processed foods and certain drinks. It can lead to bloating as it can’t be broken down by the digestive system.

Eating high amounts of carbohydrates can also lead to stomach pain and bloating, as certain types contain properties, such as gluten, that can be difficult to digest for some people.

So what alcoholic drinks can you drink instead to avoid feeling bloated?

Prevent bloating by choosing drinks that have been distilled, rather than fermented.

Distilled drinks include spirits such as gin, vodka and tequila, but make sure you don’t mix them with carbonated mixers. Opt for ‘flat’ mixers instead, like juice.

Avoid guzzling down drinks or eating too much in one go, as this will cause havoc for the digestive system.

Take time to slowly chew your food and sip your drinks, to allow the digestive system time to digest them properly.

Don’t talk with your mouth full, as you may swallow air which will create excess gas.

Don’t eat or drink while on the move, but sit down to enjoy your meals and drinks properly.

Ask John: 'Is my alcoholic boyfriend spiritually enlightened?'

N. John Shore Jr., Asheville Citizen Times Published 6:00 a.m. ET Feb. 19, 2019

Dear John: I have a boyfriend, Sam. Up until three weeks ago he lived with me. But I reached the point where I had to ask him to move out, because, no matter how many times he swore he was done drinking, he always ended up drunk again.

Two days ago, Sam told me that he’d REALLY changed. He had just returned from a four-day spiritual retreat, where he said he was in constant prayer, meditation, and on journeys led by advanced seers and spiritual leaders into his own consciousness. He fasted, sat for long psychic therapy sessions in a sweat lodge, and participated in yoga, sound healing, and sacred water ceremonies.

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He said that the main leader of the retreat had declared him spiritually enlightened, and that he, Sam, knows that he is now thoroughly cleansed of whatever negativity he had inside of him that always pulled him back to the bottle.

“I’ve transformed into the person you and I both knew I could be,” he told me. He also asked if he could move back in with me. When I asked if he was interested in going to AA meetings, he said that it wasn’t necessary for him, that he had “evolved beyond” everything having to do with alcohol, or anything else that dragged down his life in that way.

I love Sam. I can’t not love him. I’d love to have him in my life again. But I am wary about his actually moving back in with me.

John, what do you think about people becoming spiritually enlightened? That whole world is something I just don’t know much about. Is such a complete transformation in a person really possible?

John’s answer: I don’t know if it’s possible for someone to become permanently spiritually enlightened.

(I tend to think it’s not, insofar as I don’t believe it’s possible for anyone to go through life never feeling anything but, well, spiritually enlightened. If you’re human, you’re human. And that necessarily means at times feeling greedy, selfish, petty, irritated, angry, impatient, disgruntled, inadequate and generally blechy. When they find themselves feeling in those negative kinds of ways, ultimately the best thing an enlightened person can do is allow themselves permission to feel that way. Which is great! But if that’s the best virtually anyone can do, then what’s the difference between an evolved, spiritually enlightened being, and someone who just has normal, healthy psychological habits?)

I do know that a profound spiritual transformation is a lot more likely to occur after years of dedicated discipline, study, and meditation than it is to happen after a four-day spiritual retreat.

Listen: Maybe Sam really is spiritually enlightened now. That would be awesome. I don’t know if it would make him a good boyfriend or husband, but let’s assume it would.

My vote is for you to tell Sam that you want him to stay living separately from you, that you’d be happy to hang out with him, and that you want him to go six full months without drinking any alcohol.

If he loves you, and he’s an enlightened being, then he should be able to do six months dry standing on his head. Literally, in his case!

It’s good he’s feeling good. But you deserve more than a feeling. You deserve proof. Proof takes time. Let him stay sober for six months and then see how you’re feeling about him.

Ask John appears every Friday in Asheville Scene. (Photo11: Courtesy of John Shore)

Send questions to askjohnshore@gmail.com, or through John's website, JohnShore.com. Questions may be edited for brevity, clarity, or to ensure anonymity.