How Many Of Us Does This Describe?

[Pollux]

Just been doing some reading as I'm currently putting myself on a dry fortnight on account of my drinking getting too out of control over the last few weeks (I'm sure all the family related crap I posted elsewhere has contributed to this) and I found a term that I'm not ashamed to say probably describes me and I'd dare say a few more on here....

High Functioning Alcoholic......

Definition as stolen from Wikipedia

A High-functioning alcoholic (HFA) is a form of alcoholism where the alcoholic is able to maintain their outside life such as jobs, academics, relationships etc. all while drinking alcoholically.[1] Many HFAs are not viewed by society as alcoholics because they do not fit the common alcoholic stereotype. Unlike the stereotypical alcoholic, HFA's have either succeeded or over-achieved through their lifetimes. This can lead to denial of alcoholism through both the HFA, co-workers, family members and friends.
[edit]Signs and symptoms

1. Drinking Patterns
When they have one drink, they experience a craving to have more and cannot predict what their alcohol intake will be.
They obsess about the next time they will be able to drink alcohol.
They behave in ways that are not characteristic of themselves while drunk and continue to repeat these unwanted behaviors and patterns.
Surround themselves socially with heavy drinkers.
Getting drunk before actually arriving at parties/bars (pre-partying).
Setting drinking limits (i.e., only having 3 drinks, only drinking 3 days per week) and not being able to adhere to them.
Driving drunk and not getting arrested or involved in an accident.
Always having to finish an alcoholic beverage or even another person's unfinished beverage.
Using alcohol as a reward.
Drinking daily or binge drinking (more than 5 drinks in one sitting) on weekends.
Having blackouts (memory lapse due to excessive drinking) and not remembering what they did for a portion of their drinking episode.
Feeling guilt and shame about their drunken behaviors.
Taking breaks from drinking and then increasing alcohol consumption when they resume drinking after a period of time.
Engaging in risky sexual behavior when intoxicated.
Not being able to imagine their life without alcohol in it

2. Denial
Have difficulty viewing themselves as alcoholics because they don't fit the stereotypical image and because they feel their lives are manageable.
Avoid recovery help.
Make excuses for drinking by using alcohol as a reward or to relieve stress

3. Professional and Personal Life:
Well respected for job/academic performance and accomplishments.
Can maintain a social life and intimate relationships.
Surround themselves with people who drink heavily

4. "Double Life":
Appear to the outside world to be managing life well.
Skilled at living a compartmentalized life (i.e., separating professional, personal, and drinking lives)

5. Hitting Bottom:
Experience few tangible losses and consequences from their drinking, often by sheer luck.
Experience recurrent thoughts that because they have not "lost everything," they have not hit bottom.
Often hit bottom and are unable to recognize it

So, does this describe anyone else???

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Just been doing some reading as I'm currently putting myself on a dry fortnight on account of my drinking getting too out of control over the last few weeks (I'm sure all the family related crap I posted elsewhere has contributed to this) and I found a term that I'm not ashamed to say probably describes me and I'd dare say a few more on here....

High Functioning Alcoholic......

Definition as stolen from Wikipedia




So, does this describe anyone else???

I answer quite truthfully I am not a HFA, but I'd like to be one!

 

[WarmBeer]

If I answer 'Yes' to 13 out of the 26 questions, what does that make me?

A Half Functioning Alcoholic?

 

[Bribie G]

1. Drinking Patterns
When they have one drink, they experience a craving to have more and cannot predict what their alcohol intake will be.
They obsess about the next time they will be able to brew alcohol.
They create beers that are not characteristic of the BJCP style they are aiming for while brewing and continue to repeat these unwanted styles and patterns.
Surround themselves socially with brewing forums.
Getting drunk before actually doughing in .
Setting batch limits (i.e., only having 3 kegs on the go, only brewing 3 days per week) and not being able to adhere to them.
Driving spouses to drink and not getting arrested or involved in an accident.
Always having to finish an alcoholic beverage despite the low cost of a home bevvy.
Using comp wins as a reward.
Drinking daily or binge drinking (more than 5 drinks in one sitting) on weekends in order to clear a keg for the next batch
Having blackouts (memory lapse due to losing brew log book) and not remembering what the hell hops went into that Yorkie.
Feeling guilt and shame about their last minicomp ranking.
Taking breaks from brewing and then increasing batch production when they resume brewing after a period of time.
Engaging in risky sexual behavior with goats in particular when intoxicated.
Not being able to imagine their life without beer and brewing in it

2. Denial
Have difficulty viewing themselves as commercial beer consumers
Avoid Public bars unless serving craft beers.
Make excuses for drinking by claiming beer appreciation to assist recipe formulation

3. Professional and Personal Life:
Well respected for job/academic performance and accomplishments and bringing in bottles for a chosen few in the office
Can maintain a social life and intimate relationships.
Surround themselves with people who brew heavily

4. "Double Life":
Appear to the outside world to be managing life well.
Skilled at living a compartmentalized life (i.e., separating professional, personal, and brewing lives)

5. Hitting Bottom:
Experience few tangible losses and consequences from their drinking, nearly always by sheer luck.
Experience recurrent thoughts that because they have not lost the last comp there is still the chance of a 45 point win.
Often get diacetyl and are unable to recognize it

 

[Phoney]

Some of those apply to me, a lot of them dont... but jeez that's the problem with internet diagnosis isn't it. You can read through the symptoms of half of the medical conditions out there and say "Geez! Well I get that and I feel like that at times, so I must have XYZ" Even though you actually have something completely different (or nothing at all) and so doctors hate it when their patents self diagnose.

That said, a few of those in that list negatively impact those around you who you love, and do egatively affect you (particularly number 5). So if that's happening to your life then you definitely have a problem which you should address if you care about yourself and others...

my 2c

 

[Nick JD]

Drinking daily or binge drinking (more than 5 drinks in one sitting) on weekends.

Whoa! 5 drinks is binge drinking?

This sounds like an American classification. I can legally drive a car on half the amount it takes to class me as a binge drinker? WTF?

Maybe it's denial. Maybe we should encourage another prohibition. Or not.

 

[Pollux]

I guessed/hoped this topic would turn into a hot one, I'm interested to read the opinions of those whom I only really know of due to the love of beer......

 

[fergi]

no i dont fall into this category, in fact i go for 8 hours and dont even think about beer, in fact i dont even have a drink while i am sleeping, oops the eight hours is while i am sleeping, so i know you are "supposed to not have a drink until after noon' WHO THE HELL MADE THAT IDEA UP.
fergi

 

[argon]

I've recently been considering this very topic... i've had alcoholics in the family and can identify such behaviour.

Thankfully I don't possess an addictive personality... i think it gets over run by my laziness to be honest.

I can't see myself being an alcoholic as i don't drink anything else but beer. Furthermore I simply won't consume anything that is not good quality (with the exception of my on homebrew of course). I often refuse offers of drinks at work and with friends... i have no interest in drinking anything less than good stuff.

So along with laziness, i have a "snobbish" side that won't lower myself into any addiction. So in essence, my less than admirable traits save me from being addicted to anything.

 

[jonocarroll]

I see a lot of those traits in my behaviour, but by and large not the worst or majority of them. I've seen plenty more of them in my family members though, and it's not pretty. I have between zero and two beers throughout the working week (almost always around dinner time). A few more on weekends. Never just for the sake of it, and absolutely never something I have to force down (how many times have you heard "man, that beer was horse-piss, took all my strength to get it down, now get me another").

Part of the problem with the social attitudes towards drinking is the belief that it's cool to be alcoholic, to get drunk as much as possible...

I answer quite truthfully I am not a HFA, but I'd like to be one!

Getting youth to spend some time with a non-high-functioning alcoholic on a regular basis (while sober) will likely change their attitudes pretty quickly (one would hope). Absolutely nothing in that list is anything to be proud of, and should serve as a good identification of things to improve in one's life.

 

[Pollux]

I can't see myself being an alcoholic as i don't drink anything else but beer. Furthermore I simply won't consume anything that is not good quality (with the exception of my on homebrew of course). I often refuse offers of drinks at work and with friends... i have no interest in drinking anything less than good stuff.

So along with laziness, i have a "snobbish" side that won't lower myself into any addiction. So in essence, my less than admirable traits save me from being addicted to anything.

From more of my reading...

Self-deluding Some HFAs drink only expensive wine or liquor in the mistaken belief that this means theyre not an alcoholic. Its a self-delusion that allows them to continue to drink with impunity.

That said, by the Governments guidelines we are probably all binge drinkers....

 

[argon]

QUOTE (argon @ Feb 24 2011, 05:28 PM)
I can't see myself being an alcoholic as i don't drink anything else but beer. Furthermore I simply won't consume anything that is not good quality (with the exception of my on homebrew of course). I often refuse offers of drinks at work and with friends... i have no interest in drinking anything less than good stuff.

So along with laziness, i have a "snobbish" side that won't lower myself into any addiction. So in essence, my less than admirable traits save me from being addicted to anything.

From more of my reading...

QUOTE
Self-deluding Some HFAs drink only expensive wine or liquor in the mistaken belief that this means theyre not an alcoholic. Its a self-delusion that allows them to continue to drink with impunity.

Oh dear :blink:

 

[Superoo]

I never had a drink for 12 years...

then...

I turned 13...

 

[staggalee]

1. Drinking Patterns
When they have one drink, they experience a craving to have more and cannot predict what their alcohol intake will be.
They obsess about the next time they will be able to brew alcohol.
They create beers that are not characteristic of the BJCP style they are aiming for while brewing and continue to repeat these unwanted styles and patterns.
Surround themselves socially with brewing forums.
Getting drunk before actually doughing in .
Setting batch limits (i.e., only having 3 kegs on the go, only brewing 3 days per week) and not being able to adhere to them.
Driving spouses to drink and not getting arrested or involved in an accident.
Always having to finish an alcoholic beverage despite the low cost of a home bevvy.
Using comp wins as a reward.
Drinking daily or binge drinking (more than 5 drinks in one sitting) on weekends in order to clear a keg for the next batch
Having blackouts (memory lapse due to losing brew log book) and not remembering what the hell hops went into that Yorkie.
Feeling guilt and shame about their last minicomp ranking.
Taking breaks from brewing and then increasing batch production when they resume brewing after a period of time.
Engaging in risky sexual behavior with goats in particular when intoxicated.
Not being able to imagine their life without beer and brewing in it

2. Denial
Have difficulty viewing themselves as commercial beer consumers
Avoid Public bars unless serving craft beers.
Make excuses for drinking by claiming beer appreciation to assist recipe formulation

3. Professional and Personal Life:
Well respected for job/academic performance and accomplishments and bringing in bottles for a chosen few in the office
Can maintain a social life and intimate relationships.
Surround themselves with people who brew heavily

4. "Double Life":
Appear to the outside world to be managing life well.
Skilled at living a compartmentalized life (i.e., separating professional, personal, and brewing lives)

5. Hitting Bottom:
Experience few tangible losses and consequences from their drinking, nearly always by sheer luck.
Experience recurrent thoughts that because they have not lost the last comp there is still the chance of a 45 point win.
Often get diacetyl and are unable to recognize it

Actually, I`d be a bit pissed off if I spent the time to type out a reply as witty, long and succint as that and people just drove over the top of it without so much as a "yeah too rite".
Very bad form
Maybe I drink too much

 

[Lecterfan]

Awesome, interesting and thoughtful topic Pollux. I shall avoid pontificating about the highly limited usefulness of the DSM (it's hard for me to resist as it is my area of previous occupational and current academic concern), which is where this information has originated before being given a slightly new twist by the woman who is referenced at the bottom of the page.

Certainly many issues there that are food for thought (while we can all agree the 5 beers in one sitting thing is just a little bit unrealistic).

Personally I wouldn't get too excited about the wiki page summation as it removes all nuance of the concept. HFA is actually more of a slang term that can be thrown around and (ab)used by clinicians who unsurprisingly make money from the concept (oops- I tried to resist).

This is a well referenced article (amazingly for wikipedia) if you really want to read how bad things have to be in order to be diagnosed as alcoholic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism

Also further reading about the DSM itself, this article does a reasonable job of presenting some of the criticisms of the DSM while still retaining a mostly descriptive stance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_an...ental_Disorders


In a nutshell, based on the DSM we are all high functioning somethings - all behaviours and problems exist on a continuum and the labelling comes in at a certain (sometimes arguably arbitrary) point.

Let me acknowledgte to all other health workers on the site that I acknowledge the usefulness of the tool, but a screwdriver can also be used to stab people with (I hope that metaphor is clear).

Kudos to Pollux having the courage to broach the issue :super:

RDWHAHB.

edit: yes I had a good giggle at BribieG's reworking, but wanted more to address some of the issues raised by OP, especially in regards to the last few weeks that he's referred to.

 

[Bribie G]

"cannot imagine a life without alcohol"

Well I can't be HFA because I can quite well imagine a life without alcohol ... happens in parts of the planet right now :icon_cheers:

 

[cdbrown]

I generally don't drink on weeknights, except Fridays. Only time I might drink is if we have visitors or are visiting, then it'll only be 1-2 stubbies. I don't obsess about when I'll have the next drink, but have been obsessing about when I can brew the next drinks. On big sessions I've been quite lucky (or maybe it's unlucky) that I don't suffer from blackouts/memory losses.


I do try to engage in risky sexual behaviour, but don't need to be intoxicated, and generally get knocked back

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

"Engaging in risky sexual behavior when intoxicated".
Not likely, unless the wife is away h34r: Due back on the 1st March , there is still time.
GB

 

[Phoney]

"cannot imagine a life without alcohol"

Well I can't be HFA because I can quite well imagine a life without alcohol ... happens in parts of the planet right now :icon_cheers:

\

I dunno, the guy on the left of the machete looks pretty happy.

 

[barto1308]

I probably drink a little more than i should - I guess I drink most nights, though i try to have at least the recommended 2 alcohol free days per week. When I do drink, I'll have 1 or 2 tallies in a sitting, occasionally drinking a few more on a night out with the boys. As a tradie, I'm well and truly immersed in the Aussie cultural obsession with drinking too much and acting like a fool- and yes, I have done that myself on a few regrettable occasions.
I dont obsess about beer, though some of the people I work with would argue that point. I talk about and think about beer alot because I love making it!
And yes, sometimes I have felt myself hanging out for a beer at the end of a hard days work - and I see nothing wrong with that.
Do I feel that I have a problem? No, but I can also see how easy it would be for it to become a problem.

My 2c on a topic I have thoughy plenty about