History Main / FunctionalAddict

* TomClancy's Jack Ryan has a heroin problem, acquired through a pain medication regimen after a gunshot wound. Clancy's been criticized for this plot element, as he's supportive of the WarOnDrugs and [[DidNotDoTheResearch dismissive of real-life chronic pain victims.]]

* The Templars of the "DragonAge" series are essentially this. They get their anti-magic powers from 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 brunt-out shells.

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** Sir ArthurConanDoyle was actually ahead of his time when he had Watson give Holmes a tongue-lashing over his habit in ''Sign of the Four''.

* The title character in ''BadLieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans''. 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).

* The title character in ''BadLieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans''.

* While generally not vilified, coffee (caffeine) and cigarette (nicotine) addicts count.

* In ''{{Cruelty}}'', Reis Northcotte's mother is definately dysfunctional, but Reis himself fits the bill. The facade is beginning to crack, however.

* While generally not villified, coffee (caffeine) and cigarette (nicotine) addicts count.

* ''TheWire'': [[CowboyCop Jimmy McNulty]] is a particularly believable example; hard-drinking and described by his best friend as "an emotional train-wreck of a human being", he clearly has many issues. While he is obviously alcohlic, it's not until season 5 that his alcoholism is explicitly called such (it mostly gets accepted as typical "cop" behaviour), but in a scene where the FBI are investigating [[spoiler: a fake serial killer [=McNulty=] has invented to gain access to funding that would otherwise be denied to less glamourous cases]]. The FBI only listens to a short piece of [[spoiler: "serial killer"]][[CreateYourOwnVillain McNulty]] talking, but they use it to nail his personality almost exactly, describing him as an arrogant, high-functioning alcoholic. [[WhatHaveIBecome McNulty]] is visibly shaken by how accurate they are, especially given that he was loudly proclaiming the inaccuracy of FBI profiles not a minute earlier.

* ''{{House}}'': Prior to season 6 and [[spoiler:his being detoxed at the asylum]], Dr. House bounced between functional, barely functional, and "holy-crap-I-need-my-Vicodin-''right''-'''now'''".

* The Templars of the "DragonAge" series are essentially this--at least those who are enganged in active service. For many others, years of enforced lyrium dependency have lead to becoming brunt-out shells.

* ''MinorityReport'': John Anderton has become addicted to "Whiff" as a means of dealing with the loss of his son [[spoiler: and his being framed for future-murder]]. He is able to hide this from all but his closest acquaintances, and it does not seem to hinder his ability to function as a cop.

* Played with in ''DarkAngel.'' Max has been genetically engineered to depend on tryptophan, an amino acid. Without it, she has crippling muscle spasms. Because of the state of America AfterTheEnd, the stuff is expensive and hard to come by. Because she keeps her condition a secret from her friends, they think she's addicted to recreational drugs and throw away her pills before even confronting her. It comes across as kind of a dick move, though it doesn't help that she won't even explain herself even when they stage an intervention for her.
** Wait, she's dependent on ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan tryptophan]]''? The essential amino acid (i.e., we ''all'' depend on it) [[DidNotDoTheResearch which is found in a lot of foods]] including chocolate, milk, yogurt, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and peanuts? The one that causes depression and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellagra pellagra]] (no muscle spasms there) when deficient?

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

* Dr Venture on VentureBros is described by the creators of the show as "an addict, not a junkie.". He needs the pills to function (and take care of his various neuroses) but never is portrayed as pathetic because of that, more as a side-effect of why he's REALLY pathetic.

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. Could be justified because fiction typically involves putting characters throu unusual, dramatic and stressful situations which does increase the likelihood of an addict becoming dysfunctional.

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.

* ''{{Metalocalypse}}'' has Dr Rockzo. He does cocaine.
** YMMV, but most could hardly see Rockzo as "functional".

While generally not vilified, coffee (cafine) and cigaret (nicotine) addicts count.