I have always said that the story of the high-functioning alcoholic (HFA) is not typically told in books, movies

and television because it is often boring and n ot always dramatic. Well, the movie Flight starring Denzel Washington has brought thrill, suspense and truth to this topic. There are several themes that the movie accurately captures. The negative conseq uences of a high-functioning alcoholic s drinking are often unclear to them and th eir loved ones as they may not be tangible or immediate. The main character Whi p Whitaker (played by Denzel Washington) has been through a divorce and the estr angement from his son. It can be interpreted (and alcoholics often reverse the order in their mind) that he therefore feels lost and is drinking and using drug s to run away from that sadness. However, the reverse may be true in that he ha d lost his family because of his untreated addiction. Another example of this th eme is that Whip successfully and bravely navigates landing the malfunctioning p lane despite being hungover, sleep deprived and having alcohol/cocaine in his sy stem. The plane did not appear to crash as a result of his being intoxicated, b ut he was under the influence when he was involved in the crash landing. Theref ore, throughout much of the movie (as people praised him as a hero) he was able to justify to himself that his alcoholism was not the cause of the crash, despit e the ongoing investigation into his alcohol/drug usage. Either way, the substa nces were a confounding variable that would always lead others to question if th e crash was avoidable and if he was using his best judgment. His addiction were complicating his life and career and it did not matter if they caused the crash, he was still putting his life and the life of the passengers in danger. Another common theme in the lives of HFAs is that loved ones and colleagues may have either secondary denial of their addiction or may cover up for them. In this case, Whip s long-time colleague and now union leader Charlie Anderson and Whip s lawyer Hugh Lang hit their own "bottom" on the day of the National Transportatio n Safety Board investigation. They found Whip passed out from binge drinking th e night before in his hotel room and desperate for him to appear high-functioning when he testified that morning, they obtained cocaine and marijuana to alleviate his hangover symptoms. Additionally, Whip convinces a flight attendant Margare t to lie at the hearing that he did not appear hungover or tired the morning of the flight. Whip s lawyer comments at one point that he did not think highly of h im based on his character, but that his heroic landing of the plane led the lawy er to want to represent him. There seems to be a temptation to cover up for the HFA because they may be talented at their job or the livelihood of others is de pendent on their performance. Therefore, their alcoholism does not appear to be a black and white matter in the minds of those around them. The movie does a powerful parallel in story lines when depicting the life of Nic ole Maggan, a heroin addict who overdoses and ends up in the hospital at the sam e time as Whip following the plane crash. At first, the audience is not sure of her connection is to Whip. However, I interpreted the movie s focus on the both Nicole s deteriorating life and hitting bottom while simultaneously Whip s story was unfolding as symbolic. The powerful message that could be construed was that W hip s high-functioning addictions were just as serious and dangerous as Nicole s junkie lifestyle, but that society views them differently. While it appeared that Nico le s addiction had progressed more than Whip s, she soon got sober and in an ironic twist, was in a healthier place than Whip leading her to leave him. I was struck by the power that the term drunk had in this movie. Whip had created an identity and faade of success and honor by way of his career. Therefore, whe n a wealthy owner/investor of the plane held a meeting following the crash and r eferred to Whip as a drunk , it echoed in my mind. That term is so often used with lower functioning alcoholics and it was refreshing that this character leveled the playing field for Whip and others like him. Additionally, Whip s son, in an e nraged tone, called him a drunk and the audience began to see how Whip s alcoholism had negatively impacted his family for many years they were not blinded by his suc cess and were able to see Whip s alcoholism clearly. While the term HFA is never used in this movie, it is encouraging to see that th ere continues to be an increase in awareness in the media about HFAs. Maybe I w as wrong, the story of the HFA is not always boring may they continue to be told

so that others can learn and reach out for help.