functioning alcoholic
Productive heavy drinker
A functioning alcoholic is someone who maintains the outward appearance of a normal life—holding a job, keeping relationships, meeting responsibilities—while being dependent on alcohol.
The term implies that addiction doesn't always look like rock bottom: He's a functioning alcoholic; he never misses work, but he drinks a bottle of wine every night.
The qualifier "functioning" often masks the severity of the problem, both to others and to the person themselves.
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- holding it togetherMaintaining composure despite strain
- secretiveInclined to conceal
- secret stashConcealed personal reserve
- bottleContainer for liquids
wine · vodka · happy hour · liquid lunch · morning · eye opener · hair of the dog · tremor · mouthwash · excuse · work · successful · hidden · flask · routine · dependent · drink problem · coping
- addictsaddicts, addict, junkies, drug addict, drug addicts
- drinkersdrinker, drinkers, imbiber, imbibers, drunk
functioning alcoholicteetotaler
Complete abstainer from liquor
non-drinker · abstainer · social drinker · moderate drinker · dry drunk
functioning, alcoholic, function, functional, functionally, dysfunction, dysfunctional, functions, functioned