Some people drink alcohol occasionally, while others never do. There are also social drinkers and problem drinkers. Then, there are the full-blown alcoholics of the world.
If you have never needed to detox from alcohol, you probably feel like you do not have a problem with it. You can also make that assumption if you’ve never had a DUI, embarrassed yourself or a family member with your drunkenness, or checked any of the other boxes that indicate you might be struggling with alcohol.
Because of this, you might think that you can equate alcoholism with failure in life and success with never having a problem with alcohol. That’s not always the case, though. In the following article, we’ll explore whether successful individuals can succumb to alcohol addiction.
What is Alcohol Addiction?
First, let’s define alcohol addiction. Most doctors seem to feel that alcohol addiction means you have become physically addicted to alcohol. In other words, if you go for too long without having a drink to maintain a baseline, you will start to go into physical withdrawal.
This is the condition that is sometimes referred to as the DTs. It stands for delirium tremens. If you are experiencing it, there’s little doubt you have alcohol addiction.
Can a Successful Person Be an Alcoholic?
There are all kinds of ways to measure success. You might measure success by how well someone seems to have their life together.
If they can hold down a high-paying job, that may be part of this equation, or at least society would feel that way. You may also think that someone is successful if they have a family, a nice house, a stylish car, and so forth.
You can have all of these things and still be addicted to alcohol, though. This concept is usually referred to as the high-functioning alcoholic.
This is someone who is undeniably addicted to alcohol, yet they can still hold down their job, have a family with whom they maintain good relations, etc. They are an alcoholic, but they have fairly tight control over their addiction.
The Functional Alcoholic Can Continue Drinking for Many Years
If someone is a high-functioning alcoholic, they might be able to maintain their level of alcoholism for many years or even decades. If they have figured out a way to drink the amount they need every day, then they can continue on without disrupting their routine all that much. They will still definitely be harming themselves and taking years off their life, but only someone who knows them well might notice that.
The short answer to the question of whether a successful individual can finally succumb to alcoholism is that yes, of course they can. Anyone can become addicted to alcohol.
Often, in the case of high-functioning alcoholics, they might push things too far and need intervention if something happens that disrupts their personal life. A spouse dying, losing their job, or anything along those lines can push them over the edge into truly disruptive drinking.