10 Signs That You Are A High-Functioning Addict

What Is A High-Functioning Addict?

High-functioning addicts are people who can lead lives that appear normal while they are struggling with addiction and keeping it a secret. They can function and maintain their responsibilities while they deny and rationalize what they are going through, despite experiencing worsening physical and mental health.

The following are 10 key signs of a high-functioning addict:

1. Being Unable To Stop Using

People with high-functioning addiction often still go to work and maintain their responsibilities while also being unable to stop using drugs or alcohol. You may repeatedly tell yourself that you are going to cut back or quit using all together but are unable to actually do so.

You may wait to use substances until after work or after the rest of the family goes to sleep, for example. Substance use doesn’t need to take place every day for it to be an addiction. The use can even be occasional; it comes down to whether you cannot stop and if it is negatively impacting your life.

2. Increasing Tolerance

Increasing tolerance can be one of the signs of high-functioning addiction, even if you are not yet experiencing other serious negative consequences. Increased tolerance includes the following:

• Once you have been using a substance repeatedly, the amount you took when you first began using stops having the intended effect, leading to increased use to get the desired outcome.
• When tolerance is present, the frequency of using drugs or alcohol and the quantity consumed may keep increasing.
• As tolerance and use go up, so do the risks of dangerous addiction-related health effects, overdose, and death.

Taking a break and then returning to using drugs can be especially dangerous. This is because you may take the amount you previously did, not knowing that your tolerance may have lowered.

3. Denying And Rationalizing

High-functioning addiction symptoms include denying and rationalizing, which serve to keep you using drugs or alcohol despite negative consequences.

Denial serves to keep you from being able to see the true situation. Denial in high-functioning people with addiction can include the following:

• A lack of self-reflection. When in denial, you may purposely try not to think about your substance misuse and how it is negatively affecting you.
• Taking measures to avoid talking to others who are worried about your behavior. A high-functioning addict often, when confronted, becomes upset and defensive and refuses to discuss the topic.

Another aspect of denial is misattributing negative consequences from addiction. Instead of admitting that your alcohol or drug use is causing the issues, you may blame anxiety, stress, grief, or another person.

With rationalization, you create a mindset of justifying use so that you can keep using. The following are examples of rationalization:

• “It helps lower my anxiety and depression symptoms.”
• “Lots of people use drugs and drink.”
• “I deserve it.”
• “I’m not an addict, because I never miss work or family gatherings.”
• “I don’t do it often, so it’s not a problem.”
• “Using increases my productivity and creativity.”

The high-functioning addict traits of denial and rationalization lessen the likelihood that others will express concern and offer help. They allow you to maintain a certain self-perception and to continue to feel in control of your life. This can allow the addiction to progress and continue to harm you and those around you.

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4. Hiding And Lying About Substance Use

Lying is commonly employed by people experiencing high-functioning addiction. This facilitates keeping up the appearance of not having a problem. You may find yourself lying to others to keep your denial going. This is yet another factor that keeps others from noticing and trying to help. You may lie about using substances, as well as about the negative consequences of your addiction.

Concealing the substance use allows the addiction to keep going. Examples include:

• Using drugs or alcohol in your car or bathroom.
• Avoiding loved ones while you’re under the influence.
• Using things such as makeup, eye drops, and mouthwash to cover signs of use.
• Lying about your location and activities.
• Lying to cover up odd behavior.
• Hiding physical evidence.

By lying and hiding your use, you are trying to control how you are perceived, avoid being confronted about your problem, and keep living life as you have been.

5. You Are Often Hungover And Unwell In the Mornings

Experiencing a hangover or feeling physically and psychologically unwell the morning after using is common. Examples of the mental and emotional effects include:

• Feelings of guilt and shame
• Difficulty concentrating
• Lowered mood and mood swings
• Increased anxiety
• Agitation
• Lack of motivation

Physical symptoms are also a key component. These can include lowered energy, headaches, digestive issues, shakiness and muscle twitching, nutritional deficiencies, and dehydration.

6. Worsening Health

High-functioning addiction comes with worsening health. Symptoms of this may not be as obvious as with people with lower-functioning addiction, but they can still be very dangerous. Examples include:

• A weakened immune system
• Brain damage
• Cardiovascular, liver, pancreas, skin, muscle, gastrointestinal, and hormonal issues
• Insomnia
• Physical exhaustion
• Chronic pain
• Breathing problems and respiratory diseases
• Vitamin deficiencies, malnourishment, and dehydration
• Weight changes
• Risk of cancer
• Overdose and death

These signs of worsening health do not happen as quickly in high-functioning addicts, but they are still a serious threat. The more you use and the longer the addiction lasts, the greater the risk of severe and permanent damage to your body and mind.

7. Going To Great Lengths To Make Family And Friends Think Everything Is Fine

People with high-functioning addiction can go to great lengths to make family, friends, and colleagues think that nothing is wrong. You may be be doing it to protect your reputation, to avoid difficult conversations, or to keep others happy and free from worrying about you. This aspect of the addiction takes a lot of work and can be very stressful and tiring.

Many of the topics discussed above are examples of this, such as denial and rationalization, lying, maintaining relationships, avoiding conversations, and hiding drug or alcohol use. Others include:

• Tending to responsibilities
• Hiding physical symptoms
• Making excuses
• Trying to distract from your feelings
• Gaslighting and other forms of manipulation
• Isolating
• Hiding financial problems
• Trying to appear put-together with clothing and hygiene

You may also refuse to get help in an attempt to keep others from finding out about your substance abuse problem. Behaviors will often include trying hard to make others like and respect you by being charming and putting on a front around them.

8. Prioritizing Success Over Health

High-functioning addicts often prioritize success and achievement over being healthy as a way to try to hide addiction. You may be doing well at your job and work hard to excel in multiple areas. Perfectionism is often a personality trait, as is being hyper-productive to achieve a lot and appear healthy to others.

Because of substance use and trying to overachieve and be successful, your health often suffers. Sleep may be inadequate, there may be nutritional deficiencies, and exercise may be avoided due to being busy trying to achieve or due to feeling ill after using. Failing to take care of health results in physical and mental issues that increase as the addiction persists. In addition, prioritizing success to keep others from becoming suspicious can make it even more difficult for denial to cease.

9. Maintaining Financial Stability

Maintaining financial stability is another aspect that can help conceal addiction. If you are struggling with a high-functioning addiction, you are probably a very hard worker, financially stable, and may utilize working as a distraction strategy. You may have a high income, social status, and a good reputation. Still, maintaining this may become ever more difficult. You may be spending beyond what you can afford, not just on alcohol or drugs, but to maintain a certain image.

It can become harder if the addiction progresses, in which case increasing amounts of money will be spent to acquire substances, and money-making opportunities could be lost. You may be at risk of using up any savings and being unable to save further. Your financial status may get worse and worse, and you might hide money troubles or ask loved ones if you can borrow money. When a significant other or children are in the home, this situation can place hardships on everybody and cause serious relationship problems.

Debt can accumulate, and if legal problems occur, it can increase exponentially. If the addiction progresses, as it often does, loss of work may occur, and larger career problems may arise.

10. Having Friends And Associates Who Abuse Drugs And Alcohol

People with addiction who are high functioning often have friends and peers who also abuse substances and have an influence on their thoughts and behavior. Surrounding yourself with people who are also struggling with substance misuse can serve to impede the likelihood of starting the recovery process, for the following reasons:

• Peer pressure
• Challenges in relationships with non-users
• Lack of support to be healthy and sober
• Being enabled by others
• The possibility that the addiction may get increasingly worse
• Normalization of addiction

Spending time around others going through similar issues can also serve to continue or increase denial and rationalization.

Help Is Available

You might be asking yourself, “Am I a high-functioning addict?” If these signs apply to you, it is crucial to seek help.

Online therapy can be beneficial if you’d like to start uncovering any underlying issues that could be contributing to your substance abuse. For more severe addictions, inpatient treatment centers can provide a safe environment to detox and heal. Contact a treatment provider today to learn more about your treatment options.