History Main / FunctionalAddict

-->-- '''Nathan Ford''', ''{{Series/Leverage}}''

* Ruriko Daichi from Manga/PrivateActress is an extremely famous and talented actress. She's also a very bitter LadyDrunk, which is driving people away from her.

* Despite his [[NeverLiveItDown/ComicBooks far more well-known breakdowns]], [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] actually spent a lot of time beforehand as a ''functioning'' alcoholic. Of course, as typical of works of fiction, that went downhill so steeply that he [[DespairEventHorizon slammed straight into rock bottom]]. ''Hard''. Granted, Tony's gone through [[TraumaCongaLine a lot of awful shit]], so his descent into [[TheAlcoholic full-blown alcoholism]] wasn't unjustified.

* ''{{FanFic/Eugenesis}}'' has Springer, a former junkie who's attempting to wean himself off the normal drugs he used to take and is also dosing up the Transformer equivalent of steroids to try and keep up on the battlefield. [[spoiler: He [[RealityEnsues falls off the wagon at the worst possible time]] and ends up OD'ing just as Autobot City is swarmed by Quintessons.]]

* ''FanFic/SugarPlums'' the main character Ume is mentioned in passing to dependent on sleeping pills to get more than few hours of sleep a night because of constant nightmares [[ShellShockedVeteran caused by her experiences]]. This isn't treated as a big deal by anyone until [[spoiler:she also starts using antidepressants but neglects to tell most of her companions for fear that they'll think she's broken. Not only do said antidepressants cause negative side effects (like headaches and nausea) when she uses jutsu (because chakra is linked to emotions, so chemicals that regulate emotions messes with the drug) but after being heavily injured in a fight and going unconscious for several days she almost dies in the hospital because she starts [[RealityEnsues suffering seizures from withdrawal]].]]

* {{Literature/Discworld}} black ribbon vampires specifically try to become this. Human blood isn't strictly necessary for Discworld vampires to survive, with animal blood being a perfectly serviceable if distinctly unsatisfying substitute. To help them be better neighbors and stop mobs from forming every few weeks, [[TheTeetotaler Black Ribboners]] take up drinking animal blood and shift the leftover addiction to a more benign hobby - shown examples include photography, politics, and police work/spying. It doesn't matter what they're doing, they're all addicted to something.

* 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

[[folder: Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/StringTheory'': Dr. Schtein, without a doubt. Considering all the drugs he's on, it's astonishing he can manage to walk, let alone work as a super-scientist for the government.

** [[{{Deuteragonist}} Johnny Silverhand]] is shown to be taking drugs and abusing alcohol in his memories, as a part of his SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll lifestyle. When he confronts his girlfriend, Alt, after an argument, she will dismiss his apology as him just trying to get some drugs from her. Despite that, he performed on stage with no problems and managed to raid one of the most guarded buildings in the universe with next to no problems. It's possible that a lot of his {{Jerkass}} behavior after [[PlayerCharacter V]] slots a chip with his personality into their head comes from the fact that it's been the first time in years he's been sober and he's having withdrawial symptoms. [[spoiler:Later in the story, when V allows him to [[WillingChanneler take over their body to talk to Johnny's old friend who can help them]], Johnny will go on a bender during which he drinks and does drugs to the point of [[VomitIndiscretionShot throwing up]] multiple times.

Because DrugsAreBad, the world of fiction is famous for treating drug addicts as feeble, broken people living in disheveled apartments (or in a worst-case 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.

Simply put, the addiction does not rule this person's life. Typically, this kind of addict can go long periods of time without getting their "medicine" and doesn't depend on their drugs as a "crutch". Often, this is because they can always get the drug when they need it or have the willpower to keep themselves from getting out of control.

*** Cait, a human companion in the same game, is also an addict, but in her case, it's treated as a legitimate problem [[spoiler: for which she eventually seeks assistance from the Sole Survivor in curing, if she ends up liking them enough.]] Depending on the player's actions, this can become a case of CompressedVice, since the player may have Cait accompanying her constantly, and never see her taking chems. There's even a dialogue option to mention this. Cait shrugs it off by stating that she makes sure the Lone Survivor can't see her when she's taking chems.

* Laura from ''Literature/NathansKingdom'' is an opioid addict, but she still manages to hold down a job (at least until Nathan unintentionally gets her fired).

* ''Every'' dwarf in ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' "needs alcohol to get through the working day". Trying to run a functioning fortress without booze is generally a bad idea.

Because DrugsAreBad, the world of fiction is famous for treating drug addicts as feeble, broken people living in disheveled apartments (or in a worst case 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.

Could be justified because fiction typically involves putting characters through unusual, dramatic, and stressful situations which does increase the likelihood of an addict becoming dysfunctional. Also, {{conservation of detail}} comes into play. It's usually not worth mentioning that the character has an addiction if it plays no role in the plot and tells us nothing important about the character.

* ''Manga/MaidenRose'': Klaus exhibits the {{deconstructed|Trope}} form of this trope. He is implied to have been addicted to morphine in the past, so that once he is injured and needs it to help enhance his performance it's not very effective and he has to increase dosages. As one would expect, he doesn't stop using it after that and it's still up in the air whether he'll be able to curb the addiction again or not.
* Misato of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' drinks ''a lot'' of alcohol, to the point of having a fridge full of nothing but beer, but it's never shown to interfere with her job, where she's actually quite competent and is one of the (relatively speaking) more well adjusted members of an extremely dysfunctional cast. She also seems to quit near the end of the show, [[AddictionDisplacement replacing alcohol with coffee and cigarettes]].

* Tarn of the Decepticon Justice Division in ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye is addicted to transformation, but carries out his duty (torturing and killing Decepticon criminals) none the less. Somewhat subverted in that it causes him to rapidly burn through transformation cogs, which can lead to death [[spoiler: if he wasn't getting replacements from Pharma]]

* Implied to be the case with Johns in ''Film/PitchBlack'', who steals morphine from the medkit and injects it into his eyesocket, possibly to avoid leaving visible needlemarks. In the Director's Cut of the film, he explains that he got hooked on heroin due to chronic pain from a piece of metal lodged in his spine after a fight with Riddick.

* The title character in ''Film/BadLieutenantPortOfCallNewOrleans''. To the nth degree, and typically with hilarious results. He's still a good cop, and even a badass, but always in a believable way (I.E. not an overblown action-movie way).

* [[{{Bandito}} El Indio]], the BigBad of ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore'' spends the entire film in an opium induced haze. While it definitely effects his personality, it doesn't seem to impair his planning, and he remains an efficient, competent, and frightening villain, who stays one step ahead of [[BountyHunter Monco]] and [[ColonelBadass Colonel Mortimer]] until the final act of the movie.

** 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. Or really have much of an effect on him at all, seeing his horrible migraines continue with or without the stuff.

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': Obviously not addicted to a "drug", but still battles with an addiction of sorts and maintains a "normal" lifestyle. Played with, however, when Dexter is forced to go to NA, and uses his "addiction" to give his presence authenticity.

** Jesse starts out this way, mainly a pot smoker who occasionally dabbles in meth while still functioning close to normal, [[spoiler:at least until his girlfriend gets him hooked on heroin and he turns into a junkie]]

** There is also this exchange from A Study in Pink that implies that if Sherlock isn't using currently, he did at some point. (The fact that Lestrade thinks to call it a drugs bust at all also suggests that maybe the police know something that John doesn't.)

* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' Season 2, Laurel having turned to alcohol and other 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.

* Tasha Yar of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' was born a drug addict, as her mother was an addict who didn't make any attempt to regulate her habit while pregnant. It only get mentions a few times (most notably in an episode where she gives a lecture to Wesley on how people get into drugs at all), and she is never shown using.

* ''Series/AFrenchVillage'': Müller is addicted to morphine he uses for dealing with the pain of an old war injury. Usually he's fine, but when his supply is cut off he struggles greatly.

* Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin is possibly the best example. A heavy drinker who takes his beer very seriously, yet doesn't let it affect his ring work.

* The Templars of the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series are essentially this. Their anti-magic powers are strengthened by eating lyrium, which is extremely addictive. All active-duty templars are functional addicts, but for every one of them, there's several for whom the years of enforced lyrium dependency have lead to becoming burnt-out shells. Alistair, a Templar-in-training who became a Grey Warden before taking vows, still has Templar abilities without the lyrium or the addiction - "lyrium just makes templars' talents more effective, or so I was told. Maybe it doesn't even do that."

* High Elves in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' were essentially to addicted to magic and functioned for generations by sustaining themselves on the magic of their sacred Sun Well, but when the Sun Well was destroyed their entire race descended into withdrawal and they became the Blood Elves. The Blood Elves started siphoning fel magic from demons to sooth their withdrawal and a faction of them even enslaved an angelic entity to feed off of it. Player Character Blood Elves up to restoration of the Sun Well were functional addicts; and various forms of degenerate blood elves who had descended too deeply into their depraved addictions were common antagonists in the Burning Crusade Expansion.

* Trevor Philips from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' is a psychotic meth-head, alcoholic and gasoline huffer. He's also a crack pilot, and pretty much rules the meth scene in the desert almost single handed, gleefully stating that meth keeps him young.

*** Cait, a human companion in the same game, is also an addict, but in her case it's treated as a legitimate problem [[spoiler: for which she eventually seeks assistance from the Sole Survivor in curing, if she ends up liking them enough.]] Depending on the player's actions, this can become a case of CompressedVice, since the player may have Cait accompanying her constantly, and never see her taking chems. There's even a dialogue option to mention this. Cait shrugs it off by stating that she makes sure the Lone Survivor can't see her when she's taking chems.

* ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'' has party members who are often addicted to [[FantasticDrug Joy]] which has alot of nasty withdrawal symptoms often than not rendering the party member useless. The two exceptions being Brad and Carp who still can hold their own while in withdrawal.

-->'''Schtein:''' I sometimes take amphetamines. You know, to stay alert...but that's more of a casual use thing...Um, then...sometimes I take sleeping pills. You know, the speed sort of keeps me awake. Maybe a little pot, and if someone offered me coke at a party I wouldn't exactly say no, uh...Spent as entire weekend when I was nineteen tripping balls on Ayahuasca...that's not important though, is it?

* ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAvatars'': Basse is confirmed to be an alcoholic and regularly engages in drug usage, however she is frankly one of the groups more consistently rational and collected characters.

* ''Sterling WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', like Max Payne above, is constantly drunk (or seeking drink due to his high tolerance) yet can still shoot and/or whore his way out of any combat situation. At least three quarters of said combat situations are egged along (or outright started) by Archer's whoring, [[AmbiguousDisorder lack of social empathy]] and addiction [[InHarmsWay to his own adrenaline;]] yet the alcohol itself is (rarely) the direct cause of his woes.
** 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 cut off.

* Up and coming Souncloud rapper Music/LilPeep was self described as a "productive junkie", but also [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing advised his audience to stay away from drugs.]] However, [[SubvertedTrope he ended up overdosing on fentanyl]] [[TearJerker and dying at the age of 21.]]
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* A number of characters on ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' could be considered high functioning alcoholics - excluding Sam, a teetotaller due to his past experiences with the bottle. Norm Peterson might be the prime example. He's able to keep up with his accounting job for years despite the alarming amount of time he spends getting soused at the bar. When he loses his job it has nothing to do with his drinking, and he rebounds into a successful housepainting career.

*** Keep in mind that sobriety and teetotalism is regarded as a ''vice'' in Centauri society. Presumably, many in the royal court and governing assembly are functional addicts.

* Implied to be the case with Johns in ''Film/PitchBlack'', who steals morphine from the medkit and injects it into his eyesocket, possibly to avoid leaving visible needlemarks.

** In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'', John Hancock, a possible companion of the player character, abuses every chem in the Commonwealth (and even became a ghoul originally after taking a hit of an experimental radioactive drug) but it never fazes him one bit. How much of this is due to using chems for so long, or his ghoul physiology, is unknown. Cait, a human companion in the same game, is also an addict, but in her case it's treated as a legitimate problem [[spoiler: for which she eventually seeks assistance from the Sole Survivor in curing, if she ends up liking them enough.]]

* ''Literature/ChristianeF'' : Christiane is a drug addict and a prostitute, but for all that she continues to attend school every morning (in Germany at the time, school was only half a day).

* ''Literature/ToailBeyondTheSunset'': Maureen Johnson is addicted to casual sex, yet she still lives a wholesome life.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Tyrion and Cersei both spend an inordinate amount of time with a cup of wine in hand, particularly when they are nervous or upset, but it generally doesn't affect their control of a situation.
** A minor character example is Thoros of Myr. Appears to be at least slightly buzzed, if not actively having a drink, about every time he's on screen. Doesn't stop him from surviving the harsh sociopolitical climate of Westeros (and being around to revive Beric Dondarrion a half dozen times) but it ''does'' come back to bite him when he joins the ranging party north of the Wall in the penultimate season. He takes a wound and dies overnight from a combination of injuries and hypothermia - something that may have been avoided had the alcohol in his system not dulled his senses.

* Creator/BillieHoliday among many other jazz musicians were frequent heroin users.

* Played to hilarious effect in the episode "The Intervention" of ''{{Series/Titus}}'': Christopher Titus' father Ken, in Titus' words "never missed a drink, or a joint, or a party, or a chance to get laid in his life. But he also never missed a day of work, or a car payment, or a house payment." The plot of the episode is that Ken has become a shambling mess of a man...because he's ''stopped'' drinking, and the intervention is to get him to ''start drinking again''. So here's a case of a functional addict who's ''only'' functional when he's drunk!

* ''Fanfic/NewTamaran'': Supergirl is a sex addict who's proudly banged almost every other young hero ([[BiTheWay and heroine]]) in the world. This doesn't stop her from being an inspiring superheroine or a good friend. She also harbors romantic feelings for Jimmy Olsen and claims that she would gladly give up her promiscuity to be an OfficialCouple with him.

** 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.