The Myth Of Functioning Addicts
For a long time, I told myself I was a “functioning addict”. I showed up to work. I answered emails. I met deadlines. I maintained relationships. On the outside, life kept moving. On the inside, everything was shrinking. Active addiction doesn’t always appear chaotic. Sometimes it registers as endurance. Sometimes it’s convincing yourself you’re functioning on the surface, while you’re slowly deteriorating underneath. There’s a myth that if we’re still functioning, we’re fine. That if