New publication:
Understanding the high-functioning alcoholic
By Dr Sarah Allen Benton

Reviewed by Helen Murphy

With increasing numbers of people returning from work and reaching for a glass of wine, either as a reward or to relieve the stress of working life, the condition of high-functioning alcoholism; that is, having an addiction to alcohol which appears from the outside to have no adverse effects on a person’s day-to-day professional life, may be an increasing but under-reported problem.

In ’Understanding the high-functioning alcoholic – Professional views and personal insights’, Sarah Allen Benton (who describes herself as a high-functioning alcoholic in recovery) ‘takes us into the worlds and minds of so-called “high-functioning alcoholics” to help us understand how people so intelligent and achievement oriented get drawn into states in which they cannot control their liquor consumption, but still manage to excel in their careers.’ The book takes the form of detailed accounts of the various stages in the development of high-functioning alcoholism and the journey to recovery, each stage accompanied with reflections from the author on her own experiences.

She describes the signs of high-functioning alcoholism as:

• Denial that a person has an alcohol problem – HFAs don’t think that they fit the stereotypical image of an alcoholic because they feel they are managing their lives

• Trouble controlling alcohol intake even after deciding to drink no more than a certain amount

• Obsessive thinking about drinking

• Behaviour when drinking is uncharacteristic of sober self

• Experiencing blackouts and being unable to remember what happened during a drinking bout

She describes a highfunctioning alcoholic (HFA) as someone who is able to maintain their ‘outside life’ including career and family commitments, home life and friendships, whilst, at the same time, drinking alcoholically. Society, she says, does not see HFAs as being alcoholics because they have been successful in their careers and personal lives – indeed she argues that such success, and often over-achievement, lead many HFAs and those close to them to remain in denial of the problem, with the result that their alcoholism remains undiagnosed. Benton explains that many HFAs would not consider themselves alcoholic because they may not drink on a daily basis or be physically addicted to alcohol, so their particular problem does not match the accepted diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence. HFAs, she says, use the facts that they are well respected for career or academic performance and that they can maintain a social life and intimate relationships as evidence that their drinking is not a problem, but she also explains that they are skilled at compartmentalising their lives and that they surround themselves with people who drink heavily, thus ‘normalising’ their drinking habit.

The content of the book is heavily geared towards the American market but the problems discussed are also relevant to the UK and the author’s personal perspective aims to demonstrate why she feels that high-functioning alcoholism is so difficult to admit, to cope with and to recover from.

Further information on the book and on the author’s work can be found at
http://www.highfunctioningalcoholic.com
The author can be contacted at : sarah@highfunctioningalcoholic.com