Functioning Alcoholism Is A Lie, Here's Why
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 лют 2025
- I'm a functioning alcoholic now that I'm sober.
In this video, I attack the concept of functional alcoholism. I don't think we should say it anymore.
You're better than this. Stop lying to yourself.
Check out the audiobook version of my crazy true story, it's good I promise: www.batcountry...
=============
Email me here: stu@batcountry.co
Bat Country on Instagram: / batcountryyt
Bat Country site: www.batcountry...
Bat Country on Twitter: / batcountryyt
Bat Country on Tik Tok: / welcometobatcountry
#alcoholfree #alcoholrecovery #sober #soberlife #sobriety #alcoholism #recovery #alcoholicsanonymous
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Once again, a direct hit. This video was exactly what i wanted to hear tonight. Last night I celebrated another soberversary. I finished adding yet another year of sobriety to my growing collection, and today I started working on ensuring that this time next year my sober year count will increase by one more digit.
I spent last night thinking about the two decades I thought of myself as a “functioning alcoholic” with massive regret. Everything you’ve said here is the truth. It will continue to slowly get worse over time until one day you’re shaking and drinking vodka at 6am and you don’t even recognize the sad sack staring back at you in the mirror.
Take action now. Don’t make the same mistake I did and be left with the same unfixable regrets that I have.
agreed totally
Yeah. Nailed it again hasn’t he….
Awesome video yet again!
I've been sober for 25 days. Every Friday is a struggle. It's so hard to silence the voice in my mind that says "you've earned a drink this weekend". Thank you for the videos.
Hang in there! 4:00 PM on Friday is the hardest!!
It’s tough. Anyone busting their ass at work feels they have earned it. I know that mindset well. Hang in there. You’re ahead of the game already. 🙏💪😊
Yeah man, it's insidious. Addiction warps our own minds against us, makes them generate these absurd illogical thoughts that seem logical in the moment. But just because a thought arises doesn't mean you need to identify with it. You can see through the absurdity.
THIS.
The power is in the fact you now hear the voice saying you deserve a drink and not having one. Prior to this, you probably just had a drink without thinking. Now you have the power to decide against the drink even though the voice is there. Over time this voice will disappear as the voice will get bored of getting nowhere. It simply disappears over time - just be aware of it and don't have the first drink - I used to talk to mine - my response was "fuck off I don't drink". I'm 4+ years sober and there is no voice now. Keep at it - you have the power - not the voice.
My father smoked meth and drank wild turkey almost everyday for +30 years, while simultaneously owning his own business installing residential swimming pools. So I mean that was pretty functional. Now when it came to my father’s personal life, yeah he lost 2 marriages, became estranged from me and grandpa, and ended up dying of a stroke in his mid-50s. But he died in a nice house, alone……
Wow . Sad .
That whole 'live fast, die young' thing is bullshit, isn't it? It should be, 'live fast, die alone.'
Hi! Thanks so much for the videos. My sober date is 12/5/2023 and I started watching your videos pretty soon after that. You really have helped me stay sober over the last year!
I'm proud to have been a part of it, and congrats on your sober time!
Never stop making these, theyre so informative and important. My mate recently told me he is going teetotal. He's been struggling for a while, not owning uo to it and our other mates are not taking his issue seriously. I'm looking forward to supporting my friend, helped by the wisdom you share in these videos.
The most horrible withdrawal of my life was 4 month ago . I clearely should have gone to the emergency , but was stupid enought to thing I was going to man It up( you know the song ) Delirium, hallucinations, didn't sleep, eat or rest for five days multiple delusions, two seizures i think. Hell's fallouts lasted several weeks after that. (french speaker here, sorry for the mistakes) Your channel helped me to get threw this nightmare. Thank you for your humor, your calm and your wisdom man.... you helped me tremendously during the worst days. I'm now for the first time of my life fully sober, helped by professionnals and supported by the people I love.
Thank's again bro
Alcoholism is France is very prevalent.
@@petergriffin680 Holy motherland of wine yes. We have a profondely sick culture and mentality about alcohol.
I live in northern france, above paris and near belgium. the problem is even more prononced here.
@ it’s interesting to me that this is the case as it’s probably a great life there
131 days sober today and on day 1 of sobriety I found your channel. I’m so grateful! I’m doing the work. It isn’t perfect but I’m doing it!
Once again another video I needed to hear🙌🏾♥️
#1 alcohol addiction content online…..period
Thank you for the support mate!
Love it,,,,please don't stop talking about this topic, I've listened to your previous videos, and I drink exactly the way you do. I'm sober for two weeks, I still shake is awful thank you very much !!!!!
I honestly don't know how you manage to make these horrible topics sound kinda comforting although depressing at the same time. I think you have a gift.
hahahaha should i use this superpower for good or for evil....
@DeimosSK Yes, fully agree. He should write a book some day.
@@ArjanSchaeffer1973 he has :)
Absolutely. This is God Tier sobriety talk.
It’s all in the delivery
I almost feel like I'm intruding here when I watch this as a non-alcoholic and just out of curiosity
No, you are not. It is important to see unknown aspects of life.
Even as a cautionary tale.
Coming from an alcoholic (sober since last spring), it shouldn't be banned, because prohibition on any DRUG has never worked, but it shouldn't be as glamorized as it is. Alcohol should be the taboo drug, not weed. Also, if you're hanging out w friends and alcohol becomes involved, please don't unfriend/ act weird towards someone who tells you they don't drink (anymore). Every alcoholic (former alcoholic, because there's 'active' and there's 'former') has lost at least one friend. Weather to alcoholism or to sobering up.......
I watch because I’m an alcoholic. Please 🙏 don’t ever turn into a heavy drinker. It’s so hard to go back.
Thanks for taking the time to understand us.
Hi, I'm Cornelius ;)
I totally understand the concept of making deals with myself not to drink at certain times etc. Unfortunately I've never been able to uphold my side and there's nothing more soul destroying than drawing lines in the sand with alcoholism and the drink winning with ease every time. Drinking against your own will with no ability to stop, that broke all my denial about it being a proper illness. Great vid btw
Great video. I'm 26 days in myself. But you're right that there is a weird honor one can feel by describing themselves as a "functioning alcoholic" that only makes sense when you're deep in. But I wager not one souls out there wants their headstone to say "He functioned." Functioning is not a great standard for life.
Your channel is truly insightful. I believe you are one of the smartest men I’ve listened to. I think the problem with being highly intelligent is that you are automatically prone to being an addict. I’ve seen it many times.
Exactly. A tortured genius. Just like most intelligent people.
30 months ago tonight, my sister in law baby sat me until an ambulance arrived to take me to hospital. I couldn't walk. 40 units a day will do that to a person. The paramedic held my hand all the way to A&E because I was so afraid. He kept repeating, in through the nose, out through the mouth. He understood how ill I was, how close I was to death.
One day at a time, with a lot of help, my life is very different.
It's the lies we tell ourselves that break us eventually. Just stopping drinking is just the start. I had to learn how to be a grown up at 52 years old. If I can do it, anyone can.
Please ask for help and be honest.
Thanks Stu for another great video, spot on analysis.
I never functioned as an active alcoholic, I was dis-functional because I had an untreated dis-ease.
Brutally honest.
That is exactly why I like this channel so much.
Dr. John McClanahan is an addiction and substance abuse counselor from Arnold in Maryland, USA.
He fooled himself that he was a functioning alcoholic and speaks honestly about it. And with humor.
There are only a very few views on UA-cam somehow.
It's also interesting to give it a search.
Thank you for the good work!
It is helpful.
Thanks for the recommendation, I've saved it for later :)
The way you compared the term "functioning alcoholic" to a defective car was spot on my friend!
Literally the day before I ended up in the ICU, I told myself that if my sister (who is in medical school) reassures me that the pain I’m experiencing is because of a UTI or kidney stone, then I will drink! My alcoholic brain came up with every excuse to mask my drinking problem which ultimately led me to almost losing my life! Please get the help you need if you’re struggling and know deep down you are in need of help! Do not wait until you end up like me😭 Thank God I am here today and alive. 345 days sober baby!
Long comment, so I apologize. Been sober since last April/early May (don't remember exact date). For the previous two years before I quit, there was about 9/10 xs I'd wake up after a blackout (I was a weekend warrior/binge drinker) to where I couldn't even breathe. Knew what it was, but refused to believe it. Literally gasping for air for a few mins. Also had jaundice (kept telling myself it was the sun). Since I've been sober, I have not woken up once barely breathing nor has my skin been yellow....
I turned to it t after I seen my dad die unexpectedly in the hospital. I was 24 then, now I'm 33. Don't remember right years of my life....
Organs okay?
@petergriffin680 I got admitted for pancreatitis, kidney failure, liver hepatitis, ascites, jaundice, and alcohol withdrawal. Miraculous, almost a year later, by the grace of God, everything is going back to normal. Except my pancreas…I caused significant damage which I now have diabetes😭 I posted some videos on my channel regarding my recovery, I will be posting some more if you’re interested❤️
@@JustinSmith-nn2jw Justin, I am so glad you were able to quit on your own! Keep it up and don’t go back. I had a chance to quit and reverse the damage back in 2022 and I didn’t listen😭 continued drinking and ended up almost dead.
To me, functional alcoholism has always been a very young thing. It has always been alcoholism in your 20s or 30s, where the inevitable consequences have not yet caught up with you and you could, temporarily, pretend, that you were the exception. You were the one who could have the best of both worlds. It never worked for anyone. Time, inevitably, will catch up with all of us and so does our conduct.
Never a boring story with you, Stu. Glad you are well
Thank you! And yeah, it's been a wild ride so far.
I was that breed of alcoholic. Held down my job just fine, didn't damage my relationships, was careful with my money, never drove while drunk (I couldn't drive anyway!) or got myself into trouble. I was a "functional" alcoholic for years. It's the worst, because there were no immediate consequences for my actions. The only reason I stopped drinking at all is because I was tired of feeling tired all the time and I had gained an insane amount of weight. So outwardly I still had my shit together, but my health was in shambles and deteriorating fast. I'm glad I was able to stop before it got any worse and I consider myself incredibly lucky.
When I’m witnessing alcoholics function, it’s hard to call them “lies”
Was looking forward to your next video . I work in bars and the music industry and whilst I don't drink myself anymore I have a had chronic addiction issues with another drug of choice. BUT I am surrounded by people who call themselves weirdly ,proudly functioning alcoholics (as its part and parcel.of the industry) and your content really helps me in my sobriety even though alcohol isn't my doc. Great content stu , you've got a sleeper channel that's going to.blow.up 🙌
Thank you mate! And yeah, that's a tough industry in which to be sober. Congrats on your time so far, and long may it continue.
@_BatCountry thanks for replying and also congrats on your sobriety and I hope you remain on the path that seems to give you energy and motivation and keeps you going!
I believe that functioning alcoholic should be renamed to show what it actually really is - a currently coping alcoholic
Hi. The main reason I drink is because I struggle to make friends and meaningful relationships. If I had a home life I wouldn't touch it; it just gets to a point in the evening where i think "f#@k it, I'm going for a walk".
I had a relationship years ago where I was told I'd be bad around children. And I'd have to quit drinking for the relationship to move on.
I replied "That's it? That's easy." And I was being 100% sincere.
Turns out she was bluffing, and I called it. She just didn't want me around any more.
I used to love obliterating myself after giving some kind of substantive lasting evidence that I was "okay." After a big presentation, or a promotion, a big dinner or event, etc. I'd know as a matter of fact that I was above reproach for a period of time, and that gave me the kind of freedom I was living for. Eventually I'd botch the presentation though, or miss the promotion, or humiliate myself at dinner. Functioning is cope, and it's a matter of when not if you'll lose what humble function you do have.
Hi. Thanks for this video. I often use to.wish I was 'a functioning alcoholic!' Glad u deconstructed the term and took glamour out of it!!!
Bro. This was an awesome video. What a great explanation of what “functioning alcoholic” truly means. ALCOHOLIC is the only part of the phrase that matters. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Keep making awesome content brother. I really enjoy your unique way of story telling and podcasting. I am coming up on a year of sobriety and your videos on Delirium Tremens really helped me in the beginning. Was a serious binger for the past 4 years and was killing myself.
Congrats on your sober time mate, and thanks for the support.
Nice to see you again Stu - I'm happy to report, as I planned, I haven't drank this year. You got me through the terror of New Year - I watched your vids on repeat as I lay sweating and feeling sick. Not going back, 40 years was quite enough :) x
P.S. You nail it again. I was an event protographer in Ibiza for 12 years - a career that afforded me carte blanche to drink but when I moved into high-end weddings - I faced a reckoning.
Well said! The term "functioning alcoholic" is total BS and couldn't be more of an oxymoron. Nonetheless, I did consider myself to be one during my college years and early in my working years. I worked in finance and in the medical field; the drinking culture pervades both fields. I knew other so-called functioning alcoholics and the truth is that we were all just barely keeping it together. Yes, I even knew an MD who was like this, he was a very prominent doctor in the community, but also a terrible alcoholic. Eventually, the poor guy lost everything, his career, his license, marriage, kids, and finally his life at about 65 years old. Patients would complain about his behavior and that he smelled of alcohol, he actually believed he could hide his condition from people. There's no such thing as a functioning alcoholic, at all! I would be able to perform my duties for a while and it would appear as though I was fine, but it didn't last because there's just no way. I felt sick, exhausted, and like absolute crap ALL the time! If I kept going like that, forcing myself to go to work or whatever, I probably would have just dropped dead at some point! You gave some great examples of famous people in this video! Jack Kerouac and Winston Churchill are honorable mentions, though I think Churchill's drinking may have been exaggerated. There's no way that dude could drink so much on a daily basis and live into his 90s!!
Thanks for the video, I have a healthy fear of that dark journey now.
I definitely couldn't function, and the people I faced at work knew it, sadly I didn't.
Take care all stay safe 🙏
genuinely don't think I'm ready to call it quits simply because it hasn't ruined my life yet; i'm hoping i can pull breaks on this, but i think typing this out means i'm quite to that point you described in a certain way. Im constantly doing that "deal" with myself, and the fact I can stay sober for long periods of time but with only that promise keeping it that way, I can only imagine its not something sustainable. I really appreciate this video for that reason... thank you.
I love your comment about Mad Men and tv shows where there is no real consequences to drinking excessively. I am currently watching Mad Men again, and raised this point to my missus last night. I am glad I dont get triggered from it anymore. (4.5 years). However, its still made out to be a glamorous thing to do in the show. I feel if the characters would slow down or stop drinking they would have less issues and be able to face their demons with a better perspective. Love the show btw, i listen to it on headphones while gardening!
It's so unrealistic. If I had that much whiskey at lunch, I'd be asleep by the afternoon. No work's getting done.
My drinking has started getting out of control again and im trying to taper down. This kind of content is very much what i need right now.
It’s allways good to get a new vid from you….this time I have 34 sober days sober….i went a year in 1997…..thanks to you and a few others on utube….i feel more hopeful… it cuts away the bull shit i make up in my mind.
I go to AA to keep sober and avoid a florid rock bottom which you so entertainingly relate. Sometimes I regret not having a flamboyant anecdote about being beaten up and jailed by Kazak rozzers. Nah, I think I'll leave that one to you. Something to be said for getting off the dustbin lorry before it reaches the tip. I'm not a unicorn, just a run of the mill alcoholic. Passing out in my own basement, is not harming anyone, just pissing off my family, sub par work and harming my liver. "Hi I'm Marcus an Alcoholic", "Hello Marcus". We own this title even though we are sober now. I'm accepted in our little band of misfits trying to be sober. My bottom is not as bad as many but we all recognise how we are the same and have gone through similar things. Thanks for your vids, they are encouraging me.
I don't think anyone describes themselves as a functioning alcoholic. If they think they are functioning they don't think they are alcoholics.
This really hit home. I’m currently in my third residential rehab in the last 2 years and working hard to become a sober functioning alcoholic.
God damn. So on point. It's like you were talking directly to me about my own delusions about my drinking. Especially the part about airports, Mad Men and How I Met Your Mother. Thank you. I needed to hear that today.
When I was drinking, I wore expensive clothes and shoes. I figured if I looked put together, people would think I was together. In sobriety I care a lot less about how I look.
Spot bloody on mate, especially about the romanticising about somehow getting away with it, being a maverick with an iron constitution and always coming up roses at the main event. I certainly was guilty of sugar coating my problem whilst later making grovelling apologies and sorry excuses for the pathetic state I'd wind up in. Isn't it odd how some people only want that you around?
Thank you for pointing out the media depicting drinking without consequence. Here in Australia it’s all over our sports and tv advertising as well and it’s exhausting as an alcoholic.
Great video and so true. I remember when I was a supposedly "functioning alcoholic" I was a singer at a very well renowned opera house and would regularly turn up for rehearsals with hurrendous hangovers or withdrawal. I'd ask my colleagues whether I seemed different or anything and they'd tell me, not at all, you seem fine to me. I absolutely was not. Who knows if they were lying. One time I admitted to a close colleague that I was hungover and feeling dreadful and he said "well you're getting away with it as far as I can tell" And that's exactly it. I wasn't functioning at all. I was just getting away with it and it certainly did not last. Thanks for the content. It's helping this Alcy along his journey of sobriety.
81 days sober
God bless you my dear! This, and all your videos keep me on track.
Keep up the amazing work for yourself, and all of us! ❤🙏🏼💪🏼
I remember getting into recreational / rave drugs in a big way in my late teens and my university work went from pretty decent grades to the worst in my year. It was all just such a struggle, spending so long feeling awful, trouble with my parents, tutors, drinking those weird Dunn's River drinks to try and get some nutrition back into my body on a Monday. It's just like you said, trying to hold it together running on such a low amount of power, you're constantly struggling and losing at everything. You mess your own reality up so badly you can't remember what it was like to be in a good place.
Well said mate.
I hate those negotiations i constantly have with my alcoholic brain. I see it like a parasite that needs feeding all the time.
I totally get it mate. I feel fine when I'm not at home but the second I step through my door the mental gymnastics begin and unfortunately the only thing that seems to turn off the obsession to drink is to make the decision to go to the shop. As soon as I do that mental clarity returns,then I drink and fk everything up. I wish there was a way to turn off those intense craving thoughts in the same way making the decision to drink does. I'm at my wits end with this and my mind and body can't take much more.
Omg, man: This one brought me to tears. Your story was so much like mine. I've been sober now for a year. Been there done that several times, but this is my last chance. I too have been taken off a plane/not allowed to fly for being shitfaced. And that's just one of a zillion horrible things alcohol did to me.
You speak the truth!!! Bravo. People need to hear this. 👍🤘❤️❤️❤️
19:20 Oh my God I had to rewind that. I laughed so hard. Thank you for telling it like it is man.
Hi BC, always nice to see you. I agree 💯 the word functioning infers that you’re managing life well and when you’re knee deep into addiction that couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t care for the label “alcoholic” either because the image I get is the one ingrained from movies which I know is not true. Someone suffering from alcohol use disorder can look like anyone. Perhaps, there’s no need for any label. Everyone is different but at times the term alcoholic can cut deep and become a label you can’t seem to get rid off. Anyways, thanks for sharing your experiences with us. It does help.
The ridiculous cartoonish way “alcoholics” are portrayed in movies does a lot of damage.
I never actually used that phrase about myself but I can admit that I coasted job interviews by being just the 'right' amount drunk and clearly not showing it as I got the jobs (happened twice) but subsequently failed to hold down either job due to drink. So like you say, i wasn't functioning at all and progressively failed to hide my problem. The term can go into room 101 along with all the other ridiculous myths about alcohol. Great video, was literally thinking earlier today that I needed a dose of Stu. Thanks as usual mate.
Your story and definition of “functional” is interesting. People always talk about holding down a job, but you talk more about hiding it.
I was never functional, but none of my friends knew. When I told a close friend that I was now sober, had had a major drinking problem for years, and politely declined to drink with them on New Years, it didn’t register at first. I had to tell her twice.
It has me brew. Love you bro. I'm struggling at the moment but keep at it folks.
You may not post as often as other sober channels but when you do it is worth the long wait! I think this may be your most impactful video thus far. So honest and so eruditely put, a functioning alcoholic is just giving him/herself a licence to continue over-consuming alcohol. Get real please! It is so common for people to rewrite their own story to make it acceptable to themselves.
Alcoholic for many years who just celebrated 4 months of sobriety. I felt extremely comfortable in not feeling as rough as a pillow-case full of hedgehogs anymore every morning, stumbling out of bed to brush my teeth and hopefully the sins of the night before away. And scrub my way to forgiveness and a pinch of dignity.
This morning I had a dream where I had failed and relapsed and was thinking about where to go have more drinks to fight off the impending withdrawals.
I woke up anxious and triggered to all hell.
And for the past two hours as I head to my comfortable bank job the dream and thoughts are still in my head as if it had really just happened. Scary shit.
Somehow in the comfort I had padded my cell walls with my subconscious was planning à coup d’état on the state of sobriety…never let your guard down you never know when your own mind is planning to rain on your parade and bring back PTSD like Rambo having flashbacks of Vietnam.
Everything you said is 100% true. thank you for another great episode
Good video for me to watch after calling in sick on a Monday morning and already 4 pints deep. I'm not even doing a good job of hiding it anymore.
Me making deals with myself to sober up or not drink at work, directly coincided with the time that i went from alcoholic to full-blown, suicidal binge alcoholic. The funny part is, that i rarely was able to keep my end of the bargain on those deals and would in fact, end up drunk and drinking at work, or drinking he next morning when I said I would not. I broke those deals hundreds of times. That lasted for years. I agree with you. Once I started making those deals with my alcoholism, I truly was in a bad way already.
Same, man. I wish none of this happened to us, but sine it did, I can be glad at least that I'm not alone in it.
great video! I hit 60 days with no alcohol tommorow! Life is good again.
Wow congratulations mate. Long may it continue!
Sobering thoughts.thanks Stu.Glad your back giving the truth.Nice one.As always a few great tales 👍 👌 👏. Topman.
Thanks for watching and for the comment mate!
Great stuff man….I’ve seen your disdain for the term in other vids lol! Everything you said was spot on, all of it!
Thanks mate, I'm glad you know my stuff well enough to recognise that I already had an opinion on this :D
❤ great episode mate... Very great insight and wisdom. I always love how you really get to the true nature of things. And the passion. Man , the passion. Don't change your deal my friend 🙂 ❤🙏☘
Showing this to my CBT in Addiction Group tonight
i'm not an alcoholic BUT i am a polydrug addict. when i decide to stop in the future, i will definitely be using your videos to help
Don't leave it too long mate.
The progression is a GD fact. In my case the hangovers eventually took all day and dissipated only when I had my first ""well deserved"" fucking glass of wine. Indeed: when you start to negotiate with the alcohol, you're already in real trouble. IIRC Robin said something similar.
Regarding the last part of the video: I indeed hope the culture will start to change. Although I take full responsibility of my alcohol problem the fact that being able to drink heavily in my young years (51 ATM) was being seen as "tough" or "cool" didn't help at all.
Mark E. Smith from the Fall also faded away due to alcohol.
Some would argue he barely faded in 😂
Day 14, love y'all
One day at a time mate.
Respect for your work fella, i am watching your videos to see what's inside of an alcoholic since my partner which we have a daughter is alcoholic and i can't get her to admit she has a drinking problem, in fact she is denying everything and says that i am exaggerating
Fck yeah, a new Bat Country video! Thank you for the great video.... You are my new favorite sobriety influence. So many of the things that you say are absolutely true, my sobriety date is July 15th 2015.
Thank you thank you thank you
Thanks for the comment matey!
@@_BatCountry Thank you, Stu! Keep up the amazing work mate! My buddy introduced me to your channel via your Documentary and I am so glad he did.
What is the music in the background, sounds 1930s speakeasy'ish
Yeah that's what it is, it's old swing and jazz. I chose it because I hear that in the early stages of delirium tremens.
Thank you for expressing your alcoholic past with us! We won't drink tonight.
“Functional” is just surviving while drinking to excess. We all have different routes along the way to full blown alcoholism. I’ve met all kinds. Blackout, falling down drunks from first drink to some who’ve only reached dependence and addiction after retiring. For me it was gradual. Sounds pretty similar to you, Stu. I was drinking to intoxication through college, grad school and my early career. By my 30s I was beginning to suffer consequences and tried to sober up off and on into my 50s. Sober today… won’t go back 🤞🏼
Yeah that sounds sound similar, though my timeline might have been more compressed than yours. Congrats on breaking out of it and getting sober, long may it continue.
My father was a functioning alcoholic. His family was a mess, yet he was decorated for 25 years of outstanding stable work in the military.
Love this channel ❤
Had this housemate move in who used to describe his wine drinking habit as 'spirit' and would defend it to the hilt. He was eventually so annoying and obnoxious whilst drunk that he ended up with a black eye inflicted by someone else living there. You are correct-functioning alcoholism does not exist.
Another great example is Alexi Laiho, god-mode guitarist. His work was marvelous in the early years. Started dropping midway then the last few albums just sucked. He slowed down his drinking towards the end, so his final album, hexed, was quite good due to the increased clarity I believe. However, he ultimately withered away & passed in Dec 2020 from liver disease & pancreatic issues. He was 42. Super sad. He was a hero to many guitarists including myself.
Another example of abusing the term "functional" alcoholic is Bam Margera from Jackass. He was able to put off how bad he was because compared to Steveo he was fine. Once Steveo got sober his alcoholism was fully visible to everyone and he went downhill fast
That's a great point, I've been following Bam since the CKY days. You're absolutely right, as soon as Steve O got sober, it revealed how bad Bam was.
Do you mind non-alcoholic people watching and commenting? I have zero problems with alcohol, but I have other struggles and I watch your videos to see how people handle different struggles. Plus, you are charismatic.
Edit: since you are being honest here, and since you touch the point. (One of) my struggle(s) is autism. Even considered it around 33, got start of diagnosis around 34, will be 35 and still need more work to get "da paper". The parralel with functioning autism got me because yes, absolutely true, even functioning it is still autism. And if I stick only to "functioning" part I get severe burnout, up to constant suicidal thoughts. So I have to constantly remind myself that "functioning" does not negate anything that comes after it, and to treat myself accordingly.
I am not an alcoholic however,I agree the intelligence and charisma are somewhat addictive in themselves…
Rubbernecking?
The phrase 'Functional Alcoholic' is
'Abra Cadabra' to implement an evil spell.
I don't like the word 'Sober' because the phonetic of it is too depressing, and discouraging.
I just say that I don't drink anymore.
I've been a songwriting musician my whole life, and always feared losing creativity if I were to stop poisoning myself. And finally I said creativity be damned, because I am fucking dying!
Beware of replacing one addiction for another. Find what's wrong with your mind. Things have to change or you will fail. Somewhere under all of that garbage, the real you is in there.
What's up, Stu. A colleague of my father was apparently transformed into a non-functioning alcoholic right in front of everyone during a presentation for work years ago. My dad said he was stammering and looked sweaty. Dad just thought he had a panic attack but was actually in withdrawal. He was let go shortly after. I suppose it was an important meeting in front of some influential folks. Pretty sad. However, Lemmy would have disapproved of Motorhead progressing any further.
I agree with most of what you said, but we are discussing semantics at some point. I would describe myself as functioning until I drank 1 bottle of wine every night, had a good job, running marathons and ultramarathons, dated, and was happy. I found out I was addicted to it because I tried to cut back and moderate to lose body fat (which was already low), and to my astonishment, I wasn't able to. The first time I didn't drink for two days, I experienced withdrawal; that one was a shock, too. So, I started researching the topic and went into the journey, a week sober, a month, 100 days... But still, like you very well said, it constantly progresses and gets worse every time I got back to drinking. By the time I was drinking at least 2 bottles every night (a few years later), I could see I was losing the arms wrestle with alcohol: high anxiety, feeling tired, memory lapses, damaged relationships, inability to properly train, procrastination, began crossing red lines like drinking in the morning on weekends etc. On weekends or during covid, it got out of hand sometimes. Unsustainable. As you said, it's hard to find the motivation to stop until you get some rock bottoms or mini-rock bottoms (death by a thousand cuts). It's only when it crosses a pain threshold. So "functional" drinkers can stay in this limbo for years, decades, I know so many of them; in fact, I don't know anyone who really likes wine, beer, or spirits that isn't addicted to it. What I mean by all this is that, in very objective terms, one can have an alcohol addiction but still not suffer catastrophic consequences for the time being. I have no problem calling that "functional alcoholism" the same way I would use functional insomnia, functional obesity, functional depression, or functional cancer, even if all those conditions have a dire diagnosis and are bound to get worse. It depends objectively on the amount of drinking and the consequences; it should be seen as something dynamic that only worsens (i.e.: you stop being "functional" eventually). Notice "functioning alcoholic" has alcoholic in it, and "functional" is far from being positive. Using the car example, saying "my car is functional" is not quite the same as describing a high-performance sports machine...
My definition of functioning was: I'm not homeless and I have a job.
Then I lost my job.
Then I had to move back home.
Then my definition was: I'm not dead.
Then I was in the hospital.
The way our culture is so dismissive about the downsides of alcohol is crazy. Just recently there has been some discussion about if alcohol containers should have a cancer warning the way cigarette packs do. I've seen people get angry about having a warning text like on a beer can.
another great video, I'll watch it again as there's so much information to take in. thanks from Jenny
This comment is all over the place but I just wanted to do a quick brain download. I refused to ever consider that I may have been an alcoholic because I’ve always been able to put a stop to drinking if I thought it had gone too far. I thought it was cool or poetic that I could get absolutely shithoused and wear my fancy outfits and still have some amazing nights and experiences. I thought I was living the ideal life.
I also kept the company of professional office types and generally successful adults that drank frequently as well, so I was never going to be called into question by friends and colleagues since they were doing it too and the camaraderie of it all, even the horrifically hungover Fridays at work and Sunday afternoon scaries we shared, just made it all seem so normal. I have always been a top performer in most endeavors but this video made me question how much better I could have been without the alcohol. I simply accepted the fog, the pain, and the regrets as part of living the ‘good life’. “Everyone lives like this”.
Thank you for putting my feelings into words and debunking and dunking on the idea of the “functioning regular drinker” because this is how I viewed myself for most of my adult life and this lack of harsh truth that alcohol is probably damaging my health and making my life worse in many ways allowed it to go on as long as it did.
Frankly, it pisses me off that no one told me I was acting like an asshole. I fell 8 feet off a porch and broke my hand near blackout and people found it funny and endearing. I would regularly drink six or eight beers a night every night and no one ever told me it was excessive. I had many friends coax me into drinking because they said I’m more fun or coax me into drinking far more than I intended. A few years ago I ran my sailboat aground late at night and nearly sank it because I was too drunk to know where a familiar shoal was and the people with me were as drunk as I was and thought it was hilarious. I was usually the responsible one too. After that I realized no one was ever going to tell me to stop drinking.
It’s been about 6 months or so of no alcohol with a few days of having some just to see how I would feel about it. At this point I just don’t want it. I can sit with all the thoughts, I can walk down the beer isles, I can hang out with people slugging away their liquid delights and I just prefer to be sober because I know I’m better in every way. I also don’t want people to stop drinking. I like going out for nightlife but I need the people I’m with to spend money on something at the bar.
Anyway.. I’ve been considering the core reasons motivating people to encourage others to drink and avoid those that don’t and it’s this: it’s been incredibly easy to carry on and enjoy my drinking for over 20 years, pretending it’s harmless, because media tells me it’s good, friends and family all do it too, if I drink craft beers or 90 dollar bottles of wine then I’m drinking for the flavors, if I drink Coors Banquet then I’m paying homage to the old school, “how else am I supposed to have fun?”, “I always call an uber”, “I eat really well and exercise”, “work hard play hard”… it’s all positive. It’s so easy to pretend - as long as you don’t have the one friend that isn’t drinking, because if she doesn’t have at least one drink, then that means I may question my own drinking in that very moment. The buzz kill. And I really believe that most people are innately aware of how much better they could be without alcohol, but they’ve become so good at hiding it from their conscience it just never comes up. Many, many people are actual alcoholics and “functioning” is just another way of excusing away how negative of a substance it actually is.
I really appreciate this video. Thanks much
Thanks for watching matey!
Brilliant content as always. Really needed to hear this recently. Alcohol Use Disorder is still an illness no matter how pretty it's dressed up.
I’m a recovering opioid addict of many years, and recovering from methamp for 4 years. I can’t put the bottle down, though, and I hate it.
I don’t drink to the point of blackout or need a third rehab (maybe that’s self-bullshit, idk), but I haven’t a clue how to quit the nightly 6-12 pack of beer…
I wish I could quit drinking but despite an adulthood of drugs and recovery, I haven’t a clue.
@@BYAHchase I hear you. I thought that I was really improving when I stopped everything except for the booze. It turns out alcohol is the hardest to stop. I’d sign up for methadon if I started drinking again. But for now you need Valium. If no Valium then you try kratom. Really helps with the withdrawals. Are you a meeting kind of person? You can go to AA even if you are still drinking, be polite and quiet 🤐 but all kinds of people are more than willing to help. This isn’t very AA but the non alcoholic beers are drinkable and they might help. At least it’s something to open and drink. Good luck brother!
Would you ever do an episode on Narcissistic Personality Disorder and the links to alcoholism? I have a loved one with chronic alcoholism but they also display NPD & alcohol seems to be their medicine of choice to negate their disappointment at not fulfilling grandiose selfish expectactions.
I have always thought of the "functioning " part to just describe the current stage the individual is in of the many stages before they progress into full blown non functioning. I think of myself as having functional depression which is really meant to alert someone that just because I may seem ok and everything is ok, things really are not ok.
I'm a non-functioning alcoholic
Been watching your videos for a while now, and just wanted to say thank you for putting out the honest, lucid, and insightful content that you do.
Just curious though; you mentioned Picasso and Faulkner as potential examples of “functioning” alcoholics. What’s your opinion on Bukowski? When he first tried alcohol (IIRC at age 8) he said he finally found what he was looking for, and never looked back. Do you think his style of poetry was more conducive to the drunken state, or was that just an excuse for an available medium to shelter him from the hard life he lived? I guess what I'm wondering is, would the world even know who Bukowski was if he’d never taken a drink in the first place?
That's an excellent question. It would be an essay if I tried to explain my thoughts on Bukowski, he's an outlier, but it's like this: the poets we admire most are usually drawing from a well discomfort, if not trauma. They find compelling ways to talk about the most difficult topics. So Bukowski is a perfect storm. But how much of his fame is based on the quality of his work, and how much based on the legend of himself, that he created? If Bukowski had been more stable, perhaps we might not have heard of him. But the fact that we but alcoholics on plinths reveals something about our own relationships with alcohol. (I'd add this too: in my opinion, Catch-22 is the best work to emerge from the post-war period, and Joseph Heller was not a drunk.)
I thought i was... until I wasn't, but I haven't finished the video, maybe my mind will change.
Really interesting perspective. I’m sure I’ve used that term about myself. I think it is because I find the term ‘alcoholic’ so offensive and probably adding ‘functioning’ made it ok, even funny. Alcoholic comes in so many flavours and differing perspectives and connotations. I look back and I did hold it together quite successfully. I know now (2.5 yrs sober) that I was a problematic drinker. My life, relationships, career, health and fitness are so much better and I see sobriety as a super power that maximises my potential even though that makes me sound like a proper twat.
This is the nugget's most puritanical video to date.
Are you OK buddy?
@@herbiehoward Most of us love Bat or we would not be here. Dude’s hardly puritanical. Fall off the wagon?
Very good video. I'll be sharing this. Thanks
To this day I am still transactional to myself. I hate it. But that is something with long stretches of sobriety I have learned about me. I don't know which came first, alcoholism or transactional is, but there it is.
Great video. Which camera or lens are you using, and is your mic a R0de or Neumann?
For this video, it was a Lumix S5IIX, a 1969 Yashica Yashinon 50mm f1.7, and the mic is a Rode NT1-A, though the audio is a mess on this video because there was a motorbike race going on outside that I hard to work hard to get rid of.
@_BatCountry I have the same mic. When R0de came out with the NT1 in the mid to late nineties, they proved a mic that costs a few hundred bucks could take on the big boys that cost thousands and thousands. I absolutely love the character your lenses bring to your videos, it is just night and day when compared to today's cheap kit. The cheap stuff is fascinating, but your setup looks waaay better.
Good one today, BC- thanks for your perspective as always-
I just started drinking again because I'm a retard and quitting is too hard. I have quit for 3+ years and I'm just as as big of a failure with or without alcohol. It's not great but it gives some release. It feels like a battle against myself I can't win anyway. PS: I have no children or partner etc. so no one but myself get hurt by (non) drinking. PS2: I can quit for shorter periods and never drink every day but yeah I'm still an addict. Good luck with the channel.
lol. I’ll second that….. I’m a functioning alcoholic , now that I’m not drinking. 🎉😂
I was definitely a functional alcoholic, it's just that over time with increasing tolerance to alcohol I had to drink more and then became dysfunctional. So it's a temporary phase in the journey to destruction. Now sober, 😎.
Well done on breaking out of it mate.
I relapsed after 5 months a couple weeks ago. Already witnessing myself wasting away. Stinky drunk and miserable. I convinced my self id only drink1 bottle of wine.. That was 4 days ago now I've been through 2 5ths of gin a 5th of rum and multiple cases of beer..
You were sober before, you can do it again. You gotta put the brakes on this thing mate. We're all rooting for you.
@_BatCountry Being a drunk is such a strange affliction. Your ability to express the condition so articulately Is remarkable. I'm a fan of what you do. God bless keep up the work ❤️
You always have another chance to stop so long as you are still breathing! You can go to a meeting even if you’re drinking. Be polite and quiet and folks will help, you can do this ❤
No one’s keeping score. Just quit again. But use this experience as a positive - take note of how shitty you feel while you are in the thick of it and do not ever forget it. How desperately you just want to erase the alcohol from your body. Then hold onto that for next time.
@PriusTurbo quit 2 nights ago the withdrawls are gone mostly this morning fortunately