What does addiction look like? Someone unkempt, unclean, and down on their luck? Disheveled and unshaven; sitting on the sidewalk with a bottle in hand? Chances are you didn’t envision a sharply dressed lawyer in the courtroom.
The reality is that many people struggling with substance use don’t fit the stereotypes. They effectively maintain personal and professional lives. Teachers, lawyers, doctors. Hidden in plain sight, these “functional addicts” are reliable at work, respected by acquaintances, and often the very picture of success.
But addiction is never functional. In truth, people “functioning” with a substance use disorder have merely managed to avoid obvious tragedy. They’re still someone in active addiction - just one who’s waiting for the bottom to drop out.
They need treatment - but treating high-functioning clients isn’t easy. Intense denial creates a formidable barrier to treatment. Avoidance including shame keeps clients from facing their addiction and fuels their defensiveness. Anxiety, depression, and trauma often co-exist as volatile partners to addiction that left untreated will likely lead to relapse. Accounting for all of these intersecting factors makes treatment planning challenging and complex.
Buy today and learn how to help these “hidden in plain sight” clients face their addiction, break through their denial, and end their silent suffering!
Key Benefits of Watching This Recording:
File type | File name | Number of pages | |
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Manual - High-Functioning Alcoholics and Substance Users (5.22 MB) | 84 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Sarah Allen Benton, MS, LMHC, LPC, AADC is the author of the book Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic and has been featured frequently in the media, including the New York Times. She has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, “The Today Show”, “The CBS Early Show”, NPR, and is a blogger for www.PsychologyToday.com.
A Licensed Mental Health Counselor and co-owner of Benton Behavioral Health Consulting, LLC, Sarah is a clinical consultant for Aware Recover Care and the former director of clinical services at Aware Recovery Care, a home-based addiction treatment in North Haven, CT. She is also a clinical consultant for The Strathmore House transitional sober living for men in Boston, MA. She worked previously as an outpatient therapist specializing in addiction treatment at Insight Counseling in Ridgefield, CT, Turnbridge young adult male addiction treatment in New Haven, CT and at McLean Hospital at McLean Brook transitional living program for dual diagnosis in Belmont, MA.
Sarah approaches addiction from the position of a counselor with lived experience, having been in long term recovery from alcoholism since February 2004.
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