"An Uncommon Drunk: Revelations from a High-Performing Alcoholic" by Jeff Herten, MD – Book Review

An Uncommon Drunk: Revelations from a High-Functioning Alcoholic

by Jeff Herten, MD

iUniverse (2006)

ISBN 059537994X

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (06/11)

The author, Dr. Jeff Herten, writes “An Uncommon Drunk” from two main perspectives. The first is based on your own experience as an active alcoholic. The second is based on your experience and knowledge as a doctor. The amount of medical information it provides on the damage that alcohol causes to our bodies is incredible. I have a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling and learned more in this book about the physiologically damaging effects of alcohol than during my entire program. The alcohol industry does a lot to make alcohol appear benign, but it is actually a dangerous poison to our bodies.

His experience as an active alcoholic is scary. He indicates that there are many more active alcoholics operating in our community than we realize. These people can be doctors or corporate leaders. They are in positions that put us at risk. He also points out that a functioning alcoholic can easily switch to a non-functioning alcoholic role. I personally witnessed this when the president of a community hospital system in central California made the transition from being an administrator to being a homeless vagrant.

In addition to sharing his own personal experience with alcoholism, Herten also writes about other people’s experiences. It is really sad to see how many lives have been damaged and destroyed by addiction to this substance. Alcoholism affects not only the life of the abuser, but also the lives of those around him. These people include innocent spouses, children, employees, and bystanders. It really is an insidious problem.

The information I gained from reading this book really opened my eyes to an intervention I needed to do with an active alcoholic who is close to me. If I carry this knowledge in me and don’t tell this person what I learned about the health problems that lie ahead, then I keep training him. At 4:30 am, after I caught him finishing a Bloody Mary, I started talking about how his health problems and weight problems are being contributed by the incredible amount of alcohol he is consuming. Unfortunately, the answer I got was a question about which alcohol has the fewest calories. I will continue to refer to this book for more information to help me wake you up. You need to realize that if you are very obese and can see your liver, you have a problem.

Alcoholics, their families, substance abuse counselors, doctors, prospective parents, and students should read “An Uncommon Drunk.” I can’t imagine anyone not benefiting from this book, except non-drinking cultures. A person in denial would definitely have a harder time staying in denial after reading this story. A functional alcoholic is a person who drinks frequently, but seems to have a good life. It is easier for functional alcoholics to be in denial than it is for non-functioning alcoholics. After reading this book, it won’t be that easy.