You might think it would be, but addiction isn’t always obvious to the observer. Most people think of addiction and picture someone homeless, out of control, or in a jail cell. But the reality is that addiction often hides in plain sight - inside routines, behind responsibilities, and underneath phrases like, “I’m fine” or “I’m just tired, it’s not that bad.”
Drawing on a conversation with Country Road Recovery Center’s Clinical Director, Derek Talkington, we examine the gray area where a lot of people battling substance abuse find themselves - functioning on the surface, but struggling underneath.
Not all addiction looks the same, and it definitely doesn’t always look super obvious. You can be paying your bills, holding down a job, and still have a toxic relationship with drugs or alcohol. Derek challenges the idea that addiction only counts if someone’s hit absolute rock bottom.
“You don’t have to be homeless or jobless for your substance use to be a problem,” he says. “A lot of people are in that middle space where things look fine from the outside, but inside, they’re falling apart.”
That middle space? It’s real. And it’s crowded with the folks who are silently struggling. You keep saying you’re going to cut back on how much you drink, but it never happens. Or maybe your “just to unwind” habit is starting to run the show. The absence of a full-blown crisis doesn’t mean you’re in the clear—it might just mean you’ve caught it early.
When people use the adjective “high-functioning” to describe their substance use disorder, it’s meant to diminish the severity of their addiction. But being high-functioning just means you’ve learned how to mask the damage—not that there’s no damage at all.
“Just because someone is getting through the day doesn’t mean they’re okay,” Derek explains. “You can still be showing up, and still be suffering.”
This may hit hard for those who feel like their lives haven’t fallen apart enough to warrant help. But the truth is, you don’t have to be in crisis mode to make a change. Functioning isn’t the same thing as thriving.
Denial is more than just a river in Egypt and it’s got some sneaky ways of sticking around. One of the most common? Comparing yourself to someone worse off. You might think, “Well, at least I’m not drinking in the morning like so-and-so,” or “It’s not like I’ve lost my job or anything.” But that logic keeps a lot of people stuck.
“It’s really easy to say, ‘Well I’m not as bad as that guy, so I must be fine,’” Clinical Director Talkington says. “But that’s not how addiction works. It’s not about how low you’ve gone—it’s about how it’s affecting you.”
Take a minute to ask yourself about your quality of life. Are substances taking up more headspace than they used to? Are your relationships or mental health suffering? If you’re starting to wonder if it’s a problem…it probably is.
There’s a longstanding myth that you have to hit “rock bottom” before you can turn things around. But that’s like waiting for a house to burn down before grabbing a fire extinguisher. Why not catch it while the smoke alarm is just starting to beep?
“We’ve got to get away from this idea that you have to hit some kind of bottom before you’re allowed to get help,” Derek says. “The earlier someone gets support, the better the outcomes.”
Addiction is chronic and progressive. That means the longer it goes on, the worse it tends to get. So if you’re already questioning things, that’s actually a good sign. It means you still have choices—before things get out of control.
Whether you call it addiction, dependency, problem use, or “just a phase,” what really matters is how it’s impacting your life. The label isn’t what makes it real—your experience is.
“Addiction exists on a spectrum. If you’re wondering whether it’s a problem, that’s probably a sign that something needs to change.”
Instead of obsessing over definitions, try asking better questions. Is this habit taking more than it’s giving? Is it keeping you from being the person you want to be? Are you tired of feeling like something’s off—even if you can’t fully explain it?
At the end of the day, asking “Is it addiction?” is already a powerful first step. You don’t need to wait for everything to crash and burn to start getting curious—or to start getting help.
“The truth is, you can ask for support at any stage,” Derek reminds us. “You don’t need a crisis. You just need to be ready for something different.”
So if something in this resonates—trust that feeling. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to be open to asking the questions.
Need someone to talk to? Whether you're just exploring the idea of change or ready to take that first real step, support is out there. No rock bottom required.