Originally Posted by
justjo Functional -
To me means, not quite in trouble yet. Can still do things that most people see as normal. You know taking kids to basketball practice, going to work and cooking tea.
Tell that to the wife in physical and emotional pain who looks to her husband for support, but only sees that vacant, uncaring, emotionally dead stare in his eyes.
Tell that to the child who wants to play in the morning, wants help building something, or gets to do nothing all weekend because daddy's too burnt to do anything, except to go buy more booze.
Tell that to the co-workers who have to keep bailing the 'functional' alcoholic out on an ever increasing basis.
Tell that to the unknown number of people who's lives may have been enriched if the 'functional' alcoholic hadn't squandered his or her energies on scheming to get, getting, drinking, and recovering from alcohol. What impact would they have had in the lives of their immediate families and in their communities had they actually worked towards the dreams they once had for their own lives?
Doesn't sound like a life functioning too well to me.
Murray