Recognizing High-Functioning Addiction: When Successful People Struggle

Medical professionals often point to disruptions in work or school as a key symptom of addiction. Termination from work often breaks through the haze of denial many use to hide from their behavior. This drastic life change finally forces them to confront their problem and seek help. 

Unfortunately, some people have “high-functioning alcoholism,” and they never have this breakthrough. They perform well at work or school. Some use drugs like Adderall, which enhances their performance rather than detract from it. Others drink to cope with workplace stressors but still function normally in the office. 

Physicians cite these high-functioning addictions as the reason “the job is always the last thing that goes.” These addictions manifest in other ways, such as mental health crises or problems at home. Rather than wait for work problems to emerge, some physicians now emphasize at-home problems when making their diagnoses. 

When a loved one has a high-functioning addiction, don’t wait for their health to decline. They won’t reach a low point until their health fails—or their loved ones create one for them, with an intervention.  

Interventions are a meeting of loved ones that force people who function despite their addiction to come to terms with their substance use. Staging an intervention and forcing loved ones to confront their problem is difficult. It involves arguing, difficult confrontations, and painful realizations. But forcing a loved one to face their addiction and act on treatment is worth it.  

“Rock Bottom” Looks Different for High-Functioning Addicts

“Rock bottom” refers to the lowest possible point in the life of someone with an addiction. They reach it when the consequences of addiction like a DUI, termination, eviction, overdose, or divorce—settle in. They finally break through their denial and accept that they need medical treatment. People with higher-functioning addictions experience fewer material changes, which makes coming to this realization more difficult. They believe that because they can balance their addiction with their home and work lives, they don’t have an addiction at all.  

Social pressure is a powerful tool for positive change that replaces these financial problems. It’s so powerful that even chance encounters, particularly negative or embarrassing encounters, with complete strangers can influence people to reevaluate their lives. These coincidences can make them understand, in a flash of realization, just how terrible they look to others and just how low they’ve fallen.

These unexpected encounters, though effective, aren’t reliable. Intervention from exhausted loved ones who are “just fed up” with their behavior is more effective.  

How to Stage Interventions for High-Functioning Alcoholism 

Denial is a telltale sign of high-functioning addiction. An intervention must break through that denial and confront any evidence the person in question might present. Because job performance is a key indicator, they’ll likely point to their continued punctuality and adequate performance as evidence of healthy, safe use. 

Some workplaces, which normalize drinking and drug abuse, make this conversation even harder. Though irresponsible, these work environments make drug use part of their regular routine. People whose colleagues normalize drug use are even less likely to face consequences in the workplace. Without an intervention, their wake-up call will likely come from medical emergencies or legal consequences. 

To avoid a catastrophe, find convincing evidence that their high-functioning addiction is involved with all the accompanying problems. Highlight changes in tastes or habits, such as cravings during meals or after work each day. Point out this behavior is new and that its consequences will ultimately decrease their quality of life. If possible, call out irresponsible spending habits or ways they schedule their lives around opportunities to use drugs or alcohol. 

Point out dangerous or emotional situations they caused, such as: 

• Car accidents and near-misses
• Arguments with and separation from loved ones
• Sudden weight changes 

These problems signal growing problems with addiction. They also have nothing to do with failure to perform in work or school, which makes them valuable evidence when arguing with someone in denial. 

If diplomacy and negotiation fail, present ultimatums. These are not threats; they are a command, with serious consequences. “Go to rehab, or I will divorce you/kick you out/never speak with you again.” Be calm when delivering an ultimatum and make it and its consequences crystal clear. Most importantly, prepare to follow through no matter the consequences to everyone involved—including yourself. 

After a Successful Intervention, Call SoberMind Recovery 

There’s no one right way to create an effective intervention. And not all rehab facilities help patients confront the underlying mental health concerns—such as anxiety and depression from work—that lead them to addiction. 

SoberMind Recovery offers a compelling solution with its dual-diagnosis treatment program. Los Angeles patients treated at SoberMind find a safe and effective facility for thorough and lasting treatment. Here, medical professionals help them identify and process their mental health needs. Call for more information on SoberMind’s specialized programs.