Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic

Alcoholism has many faces and high-functioning alcoholics are invisibly among us every day. Congratulations and thanks to Sarah Allen Benton for the courage she displays by showing her face and telling her story. -- David L. Rosenbloom, Ph.D., director, Join Together, Boston University School of Public Health I hope this book will help to puncture the myth that alcoholism/addiction is a condition associated with those with less education or lower incomes. Too often, individuals in powerful or highly respected positions suffer much longer than necessary because they and those around them (including their treatment providers) are blinded by their social status. Professionals may delude themselves despite facing a higher-than-average risk, seeking help only after their careers are coming apart. -- Jeffrey Fortgang, Ph.D, CAS, Psychologist/Addictions Specialist, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Former Director of Substance Abuse/Dual Diagnosis Program, Westwood Lodge Hospital, MA Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic provides a thorough description as well as Benton's experience of working a Twelve-Step program, but also addresses many important issues, including the role of spirituality and the controversy of controlled drinking, so often part of the discussion about the HFA, by providing information and positions from a variety of sources and giving the reader a chance to make informed conclusions. This work makes good use of realistic vignettes that do not resortdirectly to 'worst case' scenarios, but rather, illustrate the dilemma of the HFA in everyday settings and at all levels of development. Benton brings personal credibility and insight as she freely discloses her experiences as an alcoholic, including her own journey through her Twelve-Step program. She supports the assertion that the 'bottom' an HFA hits is often emotional in nature, and she applies the emotional dimension of an HFA in her first person accounts to provide a social, family, vocational and psychological picture. Data, professional observations and personal experience are effectively interlaced in an overall well informed yet conversational tone. -- Robert M. Klein, M.D., MBA, director of Behavioral Health, Northeastern University Health and Counseling Services and assistant clinical professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Sarah Benton's book Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic is a gift to both clinicians and clients alike. It is a thorough and insightful discussion of an often misunderstood and mistreated clinical group that frequently does not respond wellto traditional psychotherapy, or psychopharmacology, or simply Twelve Step approaches. Sarah presents an integrated treatment approach in a highly personal and engaging way that truly bridges the gap between research, clinical work and moving personal experiences. Despite 35 years of working with this population of substance abusers, I was delighted to see how much I learned from Sarah's book. The highest compliment that I can pay her for this accomplishment is that I immediately thought of many clients and therapists that I could give it to.. -- David Treadway, Ph.D., author of Before It's Too Late: Working with Substance Abuse in the Family, Dead Reckoning: A Therapist Confronts his own Grief, and Intimacy, Grief and Other Therapeutic Mysteries: Stories of Clinicians and Clients Within the first few pages of reading Sarah Allen Benton's book Understanding the High Functioning Alcoholic it is clear the reader is in excellent hands. Ms. Benton's insights into the high functioning alcoholic, using interviews and personal reflections, resonates and inspires. That a book of this depth and solidity could also be an enjoyable heart-warming read is testament to her skill and passion for her subject. Ms. Benton's book provides a road map to greater understanding and compassion for the many silently suffering practicing alcoholics

Sarah Allen Benton is a licensed mental health counselor and therapist at McLean Hospital in the "McLean Residence at the Brook" transitional living program for substance abuse treatment in Waltham, Massachusetts. Additionally, she works in private practice in the Boston area and speaks on the topic of high-functioning alcoholics to a variety of audiences. Resources on this topic are available at www.highfunctioningalcoholic.com.

Series Foreword Preface Part I. Active Alcoholism 1. Introduction: High-Functioning Alcoholics 2. In the Beginning: High-Functioning Alcoholics in High School 3. Freedom: High-Functioning Alcoholics in College 4. Adrift: High-Functioning Alcoholics as Emerging Adults 5. Falling Uphill: Professional, Intelligent, and Alcoholic 6. Attempts to Cure the Problem: Out of Control and Hitting Bottom Part II. Recovery 7. A New Start: The Paths to Sobriety 8. Filling the Void: Spirituality, Religion, and the Bottle 9. Transformation: The Twelve Steps 10. The Challenge: Life in Recovery A: DSM-IV TRSubstance Dependence Diagnostic Criteria B: DSM-IV TRSubstance Abuse Diagnostic Criteria C: Alcohol Screening Test D: Alcohol Recovery Programs Contact Information