History Main / FunctionalAddict

* ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'': TheAlcoholic Mr. O'Dea is sentenced to transportation and labour in Australia, where he meets Laurence and soon reveals himself to be one of the most dependable and well-rounded members of the crew. This may be due in part to the fact that his employment guarantees him a daily rum ration for good behaviour.

[[folder: Roleplay]]
* All vampires in Roleplay/ThisIsWar count as this, being equally fleshed-out and functional characters as any other species, but needing regular hits of blood to survive

* Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős is well-known for being jacked up on speed [[MustHaveCaffeine and caffeine]] most of the time. He died at the ripe old age of 83, being one of the most celebrated scientists of the century. His many friends had long tried to get him to drop the habit, but once he went sober for a month on a dare, the man complained that while high [[ArtisticStimulation his head is teeming with ideas]] after just stealing a glance of a piece of paper, the only thing he sees while sober is an blank piece of paper.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Qrow Branwen's alcoholism doesn't seem to dull his abilities as a professional Huntsman all that much. He can fight with the best huntsmen, is quick on the uptake and perceptive. Aside from the occasional bout of severe drinking where he ends up insensible, most of the time he acts like he isn't drunk beyond a slight slur to his speech. In Volume 6, [[spoiler:learning Ozpin's secrets about Salem]] so shatters his faith and trust in Ozpin that he quickly stops being functional, with Ruby being increasingly worried about his ability to cope; when the group is attacked by a horde of Apathy Grimm, he is so insensible that he doesn't even notice the danger the girls are in -- they instead have to rescue both themselves and him. By the end of the Volume, he decides to quit for good.

** Parodied with Shrimply Pibbles, effectively an alien version of UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr who needs Jerry's penis as a heart transplant ([[ItMakesSenseInContext just roll with it]]). Jerry finds out that in spite of the man's accomplishments he's a heroine addict and tries to make this public to discredit the man and get out of donating his penis... only for the audience to point out that the atmosphere of Shrimply's planet is 10% heroine and the man isn't addicted: his species needs to breathe heroine to survive. Naturally the audience quickly surmises Jerry's intentions and proceed to boo him off stage.

* Studies have shown that giving pure medical heroin on prescription left a group of heroin addicts more functional than a control group that was treated with methadone. In countries that allow these kinds of programs, they figure it's better to have addicts get their fix in a medically supervised setting with known purities of the drug rather than them getting them off the street. The theory also applies to methadone maintenance where heroin maintenance is politically infeasible. Methadone doesn't get users high, but as with heroin maintenance therapy allows addicts to develop a stable lifestyle instead of committing crimes to get their fix.

* Studies have shown that giving pure medical heroin on prescription left a group of heroin addicts more functional than a control group that was treated with methadone. In countries that allow these kinds of programs, they figure it's better to have addicts get their fix in a medically supervised setting with known purities of the drug rather than them getting them off the street. The theory also applies to methadone maintenance. Methadone doesn't get users high, but as with heroin maintenance therapy allows addicts to develop a stable lifestyle instead of committing crimes to get their fix.

* Qrow Branwen from ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' is constantly seen with a flask in his jacket, which he'll whip out at a moment's notice. This doesn't seem to stop him from being one of the deadliest Huntsmen in all of Remnant.
-->'''Winter''': He was ''drunk!''
-->'''Glynda''': He's always drunk.
-->[Both turn to Qrow, already sipping from his flask.]
** [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] in Volume 6, when his alcoholism ''stops'' being PlayedForLaughs, and is instead shown to be a genuine problem ''especially'' for a Huntsmen, nearly getting the party killed by Grimm due to being to drunk to realize the danger. By the end of the Volume, he decides to quit for good.

* The ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' play series: Miss Zakharova with her laudanum habit in part III: ''[[https://vimeo.com/201477887 Base Instruments]]''.

** [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] in Volume 6, when his alcoholism ''stops'' being PlayedForLaughs, and is instead shown to be a genuine problem ''especially'' for a Huntsmen, nearly getting the party killed by Grimm due to being to drunk to realize the danger. The end of the Volume implies Qrow intends to quit drinking for good.

** In Season 5, Pam becomes addicted to cocaine, sometimes eating pounds of it in a day. The only problem this causes is to ISIS' finances, since they want to sell the stuff; Pam's health isn't affected (in fact, she loses quite a bit of weight) and her behavior is mostly the same barring the comedic rampage she goes into once she gets caught off.

* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': The Alethi are afflicted with something called "the Thrill," a nationwide bloodlust that drives them to fight, kill, and conquer. The Alethi make little attempts to rein in the Thrill, and commanders often use it to motivate their troops, letting them descend into controlled bloodlust in battle. Much of Alethi culture makes more sense when you consider that many of them are ''literally'' addicted to killing people, and have constructed their entire society to justify it. The downside of this policy comes to a head in the climax of ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'', when [[spoiler:Odium brings Nergaoul (the source of the Thrill) to Thaylen City, driving the entire Sadeas army insane and turning them on the city they were supposed to be defending]].

Because DrugsAreBad, the world of fiction is famous for treating drug addicts as feeble, broken people living in disheveled apartments (or in a worst scenario, [[CrazyHomelessPeople homeless]]) and constantly muttering to themselves. However, there has been a general trend lately towards portraying addicts in a more positive light. These drug users, with addictions just as serious, can lead very normal lives, at least to the strangers on the street. They can wake up in the morning, go to work, have a family, and interact socially without any noticeable problems, as long as they are getting their "fix" when necessary.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': [[TheScrappy A replacement ADA]] is eventually revealed as a functioning alcoholic. She's able to disguise her behavior by being a hardass, but eventually she gets so out of control that she's forced to take a breathalyzer test ''in the middle of a trial'' and is [[HumiliationConga subsequently disbarred]]... or rather, suspended. She returns the following season, attending AA meetings and overall putting in a really solid effort not to drink. Ironically, she's actually ''nicer'' when she's sober, even though irritability is an extremely common withdrawal symptom.

* In' '[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3665921/53/Black-Flames-Dance-In-The-Wind-Rise-of-Naruto Black Flames Dance in the Wind: Rise of Naruto]]'', Asuma reveals to Naruto that in his youth he took a SuperSerum that makes you far stronger than before but also kills you if you don't take it daily. His cigarettes are actually laced with minute traces of the drug, just enough to keep him from suffering withdrawal but not enough to continue improving him.

* Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős is well-known for being jacked up on speed [[MustHaveCaffeine and caffeine]] most of the time. He died at the ripe old age of 83, being one of the most celebrated scientists of the century. His many friends had long tried to get him to drop the habit, but once he went sober for a month on a dare, the man complained than while high [[ArtisticStimulation his head is teeming with ideas]] after just stealing a glance of a piece of paper, the only thing he sees while sober is an blank piece of paper.

Compare DarkSecret, for characters with any kind of sinister secret in hiding, and DrugsAreBad, for when problematic drug use is the ''only'' kind of drug use. Also compare/contrast AddledAddict, when drugs and/or alcohol are taking their toll. Compare RecoveredAddict, who may cycle into and out of addiction.

* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' Season 2, Laurel having turned to alcohol and drugs to deal with repeated trauma, grief, and guilt is initially this. Several other characters are noticeably worried, but she manages to balance her addition and job as an ADA. Then Sebastian Blood exposes the fact she's illegally self medicating when he realizes she knows he's a VillainWithGoodPublicity, leading to her being fired from the DA's office ''and'' facing a review from the Bar Association. Lacking a reason to ''be'' functional, she quickly stops being functional and spirals.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'': Duke has consumed an enormous amount of alcohol and drugs throughout his life, in accordance with the Creator/HunterSThompson caricature he was originally. While few of his many schemes and high-profile jobs have proved successful in the end, that hasn't been due to Duke's substance abuse so much as his arrogance, {{jerkass}}ery and poor judgment even when sober.

** Gregor Clegane is addicted to opium, or "milk of the poppy" as it's called in setting. It doesn't stop him being one of the most deadly fighters in Westeros.

* Numerous characters - notably Paula Fenice and [[Literature/IfIGoItWillBeDouble Laura]] - from Creator/MLLanzillotta's books fit this trope. The author herself (an injecting heroin addict, according to her Twitter) also counts.