Joe: I consider myself a functional addict.
Clinician: That’s great. Most addicts I’ve known are not functional. Would you be willing to share what makes you different?
Joe: I am good at my job. I have been at this job for more than 10 years. I know people who are not functional addicts are not able to keep a job.
Clinician: You’re right about that.
Joe: That’s why I say I am a functional addict.
Clinician: That part makes sense to me. But I do have a few questions about this.
Joe: Sure, go ahead, doc.
Clinician: You said you have been at this job for more than 10 years.
Joe: That’s right. And I am proud of that.
Clinician: You should be. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you called in sick because you were still too high from using the previous night?
Joe: 2 weeks ago.
Clinician: And the time before that?
Joe: Maybe a month before that.
Clinician: And before that? I know you may not remember, but your best guess?
Joe: Maybe a month before that.
Clinician: So would you say that you either call in sick for part or whole of the day at least once a month due to your using?
Joe: You could say that.
Clinician: Is it something your boss ever notices or talks to you about.
Joe: Yeah, he has.
Clinician: Have you ever been formally disciplined on account of this?
Joe: No, I can tell when I am on thin ice and could be formally disciplined. I try not to call in sick when that happens. Maybe for 3-4 months and then I am fine. I am a good worker.
Clinician: During those 3-4 months, do you cut back on your use or just go in while you are still high.
Joe: Sometimes I go in when I am still a little buzzed, but mostly I just make sure I end my partying early on weekends.
Clinician: It seems that you like this job, want to keep it, and have enough control over your using that so far you have avoided getting in real trouble at your job.
Joe: That’s right.
Clinician: So let me summarize what you’ve told me so far. You are in treatment because your wife is tired of your using and partying ways. She’s kicked you out of the house a couple of times in the last 5 years and is threatening divorce now. Your grown-up kids avoid you and one of them hasn’t spoken to you in 2 years. You used to enjoy going fishing with your friends and your kids, but haven’t done that in over 10 years, which is about the same time when you started using regularly. In the last 3 years you have had a couple of accidents when high, but by strokes of luck were able to avoid legal trouble. You are repeatedly in danger of being formally disciplined at work. So, when you say you are a functional addict, is it on the basis of the fact that you haven’t yet lost your job, or on the basis that your good fortune helped you avoid a DUI charge, or that your wife keeps giving you multiple chances?
Joe’s eyes widened. He fell silent. He finally began his journey out of pre-contemplation. The road was long and winding. It had many potholes. But the journey was begun.
This is not a true story. But it is similar to many true stories from which I learned that a person’s world could be crashing around him due to his addiction, but as long as he still has his job, as long as that one wall holding up his world is not in complete and total ruin, he can still hold on to his description of himself as a ‘functional addict.’
Really interesting read. I used to call myself a functional addict but this is very thought provoking. Check out myvaliumstory.org and judge for yourself.
Good blog, you have. Thanks for your comment. Would you agree with this way of looking at things?