I was a high functioning alcoholic before i became an Dipsomaniac alcoholic.
Yeah. I’m one too. Never lost a job, or got in trouble with the law, lost a relationship. I just isolated myself, broke my wife’s heart, and missed out on time with my daughter that I will never get back.
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Yea me too. Doesn’t affect my job,maybe does at home but I’m just tired of feeling like crap. My buddies can’t understand why I’m quitting because I “handle it” so well.
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Yes, we handle it well until we can’t handle it well
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While i was a high functional alcoholic i didn’t had problems with the job, familly or friends. I was in and out meaningless relationships because i was not able to have a normal relationship…neither the desire to have one. In that period i used to have a lot of energy, able to work, party etc for days, even without sleep. What i couldn’t do was to stay home alone for more than 2 days, probablly the depression was kicking in and i was jumping directly to the bottle. After a short period of pause from alcohol (1-2 months) and parties, time while i realize that is not the style of life i want for myself and decided to let aside my drinking buddies and focus on real and serious goals, i tried to drink again and i wasn’t able to stop for 5 days. The quantity was huge comparing to the previous period, didn’t had any good feeling from the booze, the depression and anxiety were very deep…a drunk nightmare. In 8 months i tried 5 times to control my drinking and everytime it was impossible for me to stop after the first drinks. I used to stay like 1 month sober and 7-11 days to drink continously…till the point i was breaking down. Those 8 months were already Dipsomania episodes. In this time i neglected my job, did mistakes that now i’m paying for, my familly discovered my drinking problem, the shame, fear and crazyness were running my life.
At the moment i am 163 days sober, working on the 12 steps program and getting back on track with my life.
Good luck to all of you 
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163 is a great number. 164 will be even better!
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Me to a T.
I to was high functioning for about 10 years. Then it slowly got to the point where I was going to start losing things such as my job and family over alcohol. I could drink 15-20 beers and people say u don’t even seem like you have been drinking. It took me 6-8 beers just to feel normal. Work is so much easier these days without a hangover lol.
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This is me ! I could drink everyday and still function until I drank too much and turned into a very mean person at night 
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I know that this OP was from 2017, but I read the link, and find the contradiction in the article sort of funny.
“High functioning alcoholics have the same disease with skid-row drunks, but they follow a different progression.”
Then it goes on to list a number of different symptoms of what “They” being the “HFA” or high functioning alcoholic, looks like to others.
Because of their “unique, high level of denial” they are often not identified as an alcoholic; as there is also a huge stigma and shame on being an alcoholic.
So, by referring to HFA’s as “they”, are the writers still suggesting that it’s some kind of “other person”?
Wouldn’t it be better to say- if YOU - insert example- you might be an alcoholic ?? Since us and skid row drunks are the same??
Or is it our high level of denial that prevents us from reading an article aimed at “THEY” when really it’s ME.
Lol I’m ridiculous
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I remember this thread from Dec 17…
The worst part about this is that it really allows the addiction to really sink in fueled by self deception.
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Think my high functioning is slipping at this point.
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Pfff… What an eyeopener when I look at the list and can check all the boxes… I like your quote. I am too on the tipping point, as @Wakikki noted, slipping - going to the dipsomaniac version.
Time to get my act together.
This was me also, it really saddens me now I have my eyes open and realise what a total horror I was to deal with
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I agree with you , as someone who is a HFA it makes no difference its just a form of the illness of addiction being portrayed. No matter what the story is it all leads down the rabbit hole all the same 
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Absolutely. Thanks for trying to follow my thought process 
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I think it is/we are the same as a group and with the same drug of choice, but there are differences as in how you are with that drug and to what extend.