Originally Posted by
Cathryn2001 
Actually, HFA is the term that "got me in the door."
Came from a family/friends that believed that you're only an alcoholic if you are always at rock bottom--constantly drunk, no job, no spouse, lost kids, legal problems, etc. Even though I knew my drinking wasn't working in my life, I didn't fit the above criteria, so what did I do? Kept drinking.
Once I heard the term HFA, I thought, "THAT'S ME!" No escaping the fact that I had a problem. I might have thought that I was keeping it all together, but I so wasn't.
The key word in high functioning alcoholic is alcoholic. To me, it doesn't justify anything, just acknowledges the facade and warns that it will inevitably come crumbling down.
This is interesting because I have only met people before where the term HFA kept them out if the door as them, their family, their friends etc would enable them to continue drinking as in that old myth of how all alcoholics live on the street and drink out of brown paper bags.
Glad the tern got you in:-)