History Main / FunctionalAddict

** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': Rose of Sharon "Cass" Cassidy, one of the potential companions, is an obvious alcoholic (you even find her in a bar, besides several empty bottles of whiskey) that mentions getting in bar fights often and even making moonshine when she doesn't have anything to drink on the road. Not only she still [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished looks good]] besides that, she's still capable to shoot and fight well like any other companion. Her company perk, Whiskey Rose, even has the potential of turning you into a functional addict as well: adding bonus for drinking whiskey and removing the penalties from alcohol addiction.

* In the film adaptation of ''Literature/Trainspotting'' and its sequel, this is what Sick Boy claims to be, first with heroin and then with cocaine. How functional he is actually is left ambiguous.

* In ''Film/Trainspotting'' and its sequel, this is what Sick Boy claims to be, first with heroin and then with cocaine. How functional he is actually is left ambiguous.

** ''[[Fanfic/PatternsOfThePast Patterns of the Past]]'' expands on it by having Olesya state that even after she retired from Odd Squad, she could never kick her jellybean addiction and that she's a "horrible quitter". Oprah counters with her juice bar, and Olesya tells her that she definitely doesn't see her juice addiction going away soon, which they both laugh at.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Bender is essentially a commentary on functional alcoholism, as he [[ExaggeratedTrope literally needs alcohol in order to function]], or else his fuel cells run dry, even though it makes him surly and he could actually survive on mineral oil.

* Wrestling/{{WCW}} and Wrestling/{{ECW}} icon [[Wrestling/JimFullington the Sandman]] has done pretty well for himself, despite (because?) smoking a joint and drinking multiple beers on his way to the ring.

* ''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.

** Rick is constantly drunk, yet remains the most intelligent (albeit idiotic) person in the series no matter how drunk he is. He's also dexterously athletic with lots of stuttering and burping. While the symptoms of extreme alcoholism are apparent, Birdperson is quick to explain that the abusive nature of alcohol is the only thing preventing Rick from committing suicide due to the horrors he has witnessed/committed. Subverted with his daughter Beth, who inherited his alcoholism and is shown to be quite the miserable wreck when drunk.

** Jackie has a job, a car, a social life, and her own place at the start of the series.
** Junior has a car, job, social life, a baby, and a good relationship with his dad.

* Up and coming Soundcloud 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.]]

* Numerous characters - notably [[Literature/UglyMemories Paula Fenice]] and [[Literature/IfIGoItWillBeDouble Laura]] - from Creator/MLLanzillotta's books fit this trope. The author herself (a prolific artist, writer, and filmmaker who happens to be an injecting heroin addict) also counts.

In RealLife these kinds of addicts can go their entire lives without ever becoming dysfunctional. It isn't real likely, but it can happen. Fiction, on the other hand, almost always treats them as ticking time-bombs, slowly working up to the one event that will send them over the edge. While crossing the line into dysfunctional territory definitely happens in RealLife as well, the key difference is that fictional sources treat this as inevitable.

* 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]]

* ''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 [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome suffering seizures from withdrawal]].]]

* 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).

* ''Film/SchindlersList'': Oskar Schindler is shown to be a very heavy drinker. He uses this to his advantage by taking Nazi officers out in the town, matching them drink for drink and staying level-headed while the Nazis get sloppy and easily manipulated.

* ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven2016'': Joshua Faraday's a heavy day-drinker while Goodnight Robicheaux and Billy Rocks smoke opium-laced cigarettes, but that doesn't stop anyone of them from being three members of a BadassCrew.

** A minor character example is Thoros of Myr. He appears to be at least slightly buzzed, if not actively having a drink, about every time he's on screen. It 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.

** In another episode, Hawkeye temporarily quits drinking, just to see if he can. At first it peps him up, but he becomes irritable and gets on everyone's nerves. Still, he doesn't exhibit truly bad symptoms.

* ''Series/{{Justified}}'': Played with. Detroit mob lieutenant Robert Quarles pops Oxy pills like candy, but he's still shown to be a cunning and ruthless villain. However, as his plans are thwarted by Boyd and/or Raylan, his drug use increases and his stability and sanity decrease.

* 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. One episode has the characters trying to convince Sam to let Norm do his taxes. Sam doesn't want him to, not because he thinks Norm will screw it up, but because he doesn't want to have to figure out what to do with a massive refund. When he loses his job it has nothing to do with his drinking, and he rebounds into a successful housepainting career.

* In ''Series/{{Charite}}'', Doctor Behring tries to treat his psychological issues with Laudanum. He also attempts withdrawal a few times, but at those occasions, he winds up with shaky hands and thus useless as a surgeon, and his mood swings get worse to the point of a total emotional breakdown.

** Jackie has a job, a car, a social life and her own place at the start of the series.
** Junior has a car, job, social life, baby and good relationship with his dad.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'': Duke has consumed an enormous amount of alcohol and other 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.

* VideoGame/MaxPayne, arguably. The painkillers are not just a gameplay mechanic, but per the WordOfGod, Max has a genuine addiction to them. He still manages to do his job, or at least shoot straight. Which, in Max's case, makes up about 95% of his functionality. Deconstructed in ''Max Payne 3'': the painkillers and alcohol (and V drug) combined make Payne superhuman when fighting normal mooks, but half of Payne's problems and failures throughout the game wouldn't have happened if he didn't have a serious need to drink himself stupid. Most notably, Mrs. Branco (his boss' trophy wife) might have stayed alive if Max wasn't busy drinking instead of doing his job - BODYGUARDING.

* 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-handedly, gleefully stating that meth keeps him young.

** [[{{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.
** [[TheRockstar Kerry Eurodyne]], Johnny's bandmate, seems to be in the same boat: Johnny reminisses a couple times about his and Kerry's exploits while not completely sober, and in the current times, Kerry's house is littered with empty alcohol bottles. V can visit him between missions, and if they ask about what he's been up to lately, he will answer wit "Drinking, mostly. And procrastinating.". It's also implied he does drugs of some kind. This doesn't stop him from being (maybe it even helps with) being an international music sensation. We also never see him clearly drunk/high.
** Henry, the third member of Samurai, is outright said to be drunk and/or high during every single concert they played by Johnny and Kerry. He showed up sober ONCE, and played absolute garbage.

** Sebastian's smoking ([[GettingCrapPastTheRadar implied to be marijuana]]) doesn't affect his programming work, and the only time he even tries to quit is if you marry him and have children, since he doesn't want to set a bad example for them.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has a variant with Gamzee Makara. His addiction to sopor slime makes him too addled to accomplish much of anything... which is a ''good'' thing, because when he sobers up he remembers that he's actually AxCrazy and the high priest of this setting's ReligionOfEvil and starts artistically murdering people.

** 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:[[AwfulTruth learning Ozpin's secrets about Salem]]]] [[BrokenPedestal 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.

* Theodore Dalrymple's ''Romancing the Opiates'', among other interesting facts, describes studies in which people with opiate (i.e. opium, morphine, Heroin, Oxycontin) addictions were able to maintain jobs for years, quite sufficient to maintain their habits. Compared to other abused substances, the short-term effects of opiates is not all that debilitating (compared to say, alcohol or cocaine).

* Creator/WilliamSBurroughs became a heroin addict during [=WW2=] and remained one to his death at 83. He was a well regarded Beat Generation and postmodern artist.

-->'''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 an entire weekend when I was nineteen tripping balls on Ayahuasca...that's not important though, is it?

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* 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.
* 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]]

* Dynaman, the Tex Thompson-created Superman expy in ''ComicBook/TheGoldenAge'', is shown to be a cocaine addict long before it is revealed that [[spoiler:he is actually Adolf Hitler's brain transplanted in Daniel Dunbar's body]], yet it doesn't affect his abilities as a superbeing, as he could still take quite a beating in the final massive superhero confrontation before Alan Scott as Green Lantern started turning him into hamburger.

* ''Fanfic/NewTamaran'': Supergirl is a sex addict who's proudly banged almost every other young hero (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.
* ''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 [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome suffering seizures from withdrawal]].]]

* In ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'' Jeremy becomes a drug addict and prostitute to help him cope with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder he suffers from due to months of torture and rape at the hands of his step-father. So not quite "functional," but more functional than he would have been.
* Bird's Nest in ''Manga/CopernicusBreathing'' takes drugs when he is overwhelmed by the memory/ghost of his little brother Michel and is borderline DrivenToSuicide.

* Kobayashi from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' drinks a lot of beer (and is often seen suffering from hangovers), but it never interferes with her job as a programmer or her role as Kanna's ParentalSubstitute.

* ''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]].]]

* ''Series/{{Pulsaciones}}'': In the first episode Álex Puga can perform successfully more than half of the surgeries in his department due to the drugs he takes allowing him to stay active for longer. But eventually RealityEnsues and his drug abuse gives him a serious heart attack.

* John [=McClane=] of ''Franchise/DieHard'' series is a near-alcoholic, and as a result, almost always has a hangover. While it causes him no small amount of suffering, he manages to remain fully capable of kicking the bad guy's ass.

* 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 was teeming with ideas]] after just stealing a glance of a piece of paper, but the only thing he saw while sober was a blank piece of paper.

* 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, but the only thing he sees while sober is a blank piece of paper.