Is a Functional Alcoholic Truly a Thing?
Congratulations! You just landed your very first job at a restaurant in Groningen city center. You’re ready to meet the team, learn the ropes and work hard to earn some cash to keep you afloat. The first couple weeks go by in a blur of orientation and training. It’s sometimes hard to keep up with all the specific rules and procedures you need to memorize. Fortunately, you’re holding strong and end up starting to bond with the team. As your newness fades, something perhaps unexpected comes into view: the drinking. You knew after-work drinks were a thing here, but the level to which your co-workers drink is more than expected. People show up to work the morning shift hungover or still bleary-eyed from a rough night out. As soon as the closing shift is done, and the doors are locked, the beer starts flowing and the next thing you know, you’re off to Shooters at 3am.
But the thing is, the piece that most surprises you is that it is so… normal. Everyone talks about the crazy things that happened, or the drugs that they tried, or simply that each day is another day to drink. The joke you keep hearing is that there are functional alcoholics throughout horeca. The question now is, should you keep up to fit in? Do you feel pressure to go out with your team? If alcohol is so normal, is it even a problem, or just a joke?
This scene looks familiar to some of you reading this. It is well known that “functional alcoholics” are able to well… function. To a certain extent, this is true. It is a common term used by many who try to conceal an underlying addiction. Perhaps they don’t even want to use the term “addiction”. Regardless, seeming “functional” is the most important. Bills get paid, food is eaten, the work is done, and the social life is thriving. With all that being accomplished, alcohol use is only a small piece of the pie, and it can’t be causing THAT much harm, right? With that being said, let’s go back to our original question: Is a functional alcoholic truly a thing?
Short answer - yes, but it’s a slippery slope.
You probably saw that answer coming. Given the culture/social pressures around alcohol here in the Netherlands, it’s really important to understand what that slope looks like. The half-life of a functional alcoholic is a short one. Alcohol, whether you’re a casual drinker or a daily one, is something to be used with great restraint. Allowing yourself to have the label of "functional alcoholic” is sometimes used as a defense against sobriety. Remember, you’re “functioning” right? But what happens when drinking at work becomes drinking on your days off? When daily drinking becomes normal. When daily drinking becomes something you crave. When you’d rather buy a 6-pack than save for your summer trip. When you get mad when your friends don’t drink with you. When you get in trouble due to drinking in public. When you refuse to acknowledge how alcohol has become not only a vice, but a comfort. This is the slope that many people find themselves sliding down, and often at a point where to change takes monumental effort.
When alcohol becomes your best friend and your worst enemy all wrapped up in one, you’ve lost the “functional” part of alcoholic. It is a painful, difficult process to accept. Made even harder by the normalized culture around it.
Let’s slow down here.
The bottom line is, just because it’s normal and there’s a layer of “functional” to it, drinking in excess is never something you need to do. If your co-workers only want to spend time with you by drinking together, it is often due to them not wanting to feel bad about their own habits. Misery loves company, right? This isn’t the case for everyone, but this kind of toxic, pressure-filled drinking work culture is extremely common and something every international needs to be aware of.
This same scenario is also applicable to student life as well. House parties? No closing times at bars? Fraternities?
Self-awareness is crucial here. Remember to check-in with yourself regularly to make sure you’re being safe and careful with alcohol use. I’ve worked with many, full-blown alcoholics who have told me that they wish they knew earlier how much damage it was doing to them when they first started drinking. Just because someone is a “functional” alcoholic, doesn’t mean that they will stay that way.
I’ll leave you with this: Being aware of how alcohol affects you is a necessary defense against the normalized culture of “functional alcoholics”. There are ways to manage social situations, work culture or parties without needing to feel pressured to drink. A therapist can provide you with tools to manage all that comes with working, living and studying in a city filled with rampant and normalized drinking.
Bear in mind that not everyone who drinks becomes an alcoholic. It depends on many factors such as genetics, family history, mental health status and more. If you know anyone who is currently struggling with alcohol use, understand that no one is beyond help. Please use the resources below for yourself or to send to someone who may need them. As always, it is recommended to speak to a mental health professional and/or a medical doctor if you are worried about how alcohol may be affecting you.
https://www.drugsinfo.nl/contact/
