Some of us never consider ourselves to be addicts because our addictions haven’t seriously disrupted our lives yet or caused us any catastrophic circumstances. We haven’t lost our job, been kicked out of school, or had to drop out. We haven’t ruined any relationships. We haven’t gotten arrested or gambled our money away. We are able to keep up with our daily lives, obligations and responsibilities. We haven’t given anyone around us, or even ourselves, cause for concern. Behind closed doors, however, we may feel unable to cope without our drug of choice or addictive behavior. We might need it to start and end our day. We might not be able to focus or concentrate without it. We may not be able to relax or have fun without it. We might not be able to fully wake up, or fall asleep, without it. We might become moody, restless, angry and even hostile without it. We have become dependent upon it, but because we’re able to function in our daily lives, we don’t realize or admit we have a problem. Many of us with functional addiction will be in denial about the extent of our dependence. We might think there’s no harm in using as much as we do. While we may not have had visible ramifications yet, addictions always take a physical toll on our health. For many of us, our problem eventually catches up with us. We might become increasingly depressed, have worsened health issues such as insomnia, fatigue or trouble concentrating. We might experience a breakdown in our mental, emotional and/or physical health. We may start to struggle with conflicts in our relationships. We might start to struggle with keeping up with our regular lives. For those of us with functional addiction, the choice to get help can be a difficult one because we want to believe we don’t have a problem, or that it’s not serious enough that we can’t deal with it on our own. We might think that if we can only curb how much we use and learn to use in moderation, we’ll be ok. It can take us a long time to realize the extent of our addiction, and it can be hard to admit to ourselves and to others that we have a problem. Because a high-functioning addict can keep up with the routines of daily life and doesn’t usually present any noticeable signs of struggling with addiction, they might not consider treatment for their addiction or for any mental health issues that might be co-occurring. As such, they very well can be struggling with no one knowing or offering support.
Admitting we have a problem is an important first step in getting better. We’re here to help Call 1-888-986-7848.
