Functioning Alcoholic

What exactly is a functioning alcoholic? My guess is that is someone who consumes unhealthy amounts of alcohol but is able to maintain their job, their property, and whatever their "outside interests" are. They'll show up for a family function and not cause any problems, but they're not exactly tuned in to what is going on. They show up to work on time, but probably only do enough to avoid being fired. They've managed to find a good apartment or house to live, drive a decent car (unless they live in Boston and realize there is nowhere to fucking park), and never look like they've just crawled out of the dumpster. But they are still pretty much indifferent to their surroundings, don't care much about the car one way or the other, and probably only look presentable because they like the easy to manage, miltaristic, shaved face and short haircut look. The clothes are clean and devoid of any food stains, but they sure as hell are not ironed.

I just wonder where people get the attention span to get addicted to anything. Some people are addicted to drugs. Some to nicotine. Some to caffiene. Some to alcohol. Some to punishment. It could be the ADD, but I can't imagine being devoted so much to one particular substance, routine, ideal, pattern, beverage, video game, or particular endeavor. Doesn't it get boring?

I had about a dozen beers last night, felt quite good, and woke up feeling no worse for the wear (or however the saying goes). Could I be a functioning alcoholic? I think I would make a pretty damn good one. But the money and focus required seems like too much. I couldn't really imaging walking into a liquor store again today after being in one yesterday. I also can't imagine buying three packs of cigarettes every day. Or two. Or even one. When I do smoke, it is usually in the realm of half a pack every week. That's two packs a month. Before last week, I hadn't smoked a cigarette since the Superbowl. Is it discipline or just being a broke college student? Probably both.

This behavior, or... ah... lack of behavior, carries over well to gaming. My head starts to heart when I hear about so many titles being released at once. I want to get Gran Turismo 4. I want to get God of War. I want to get a PSP. I want to get Ridge Racer, Wipeout Pure, Twisted Metal Head On, and the other kick ass launch games. But I also want to get around to playing one of the many games I already have that are still in plastic. I saw "Legacy of Kain: Defiance" for the PC for only $11.99 yesterday. But I didnt' buy it because I would never get around to playing it. I never finished the first Soul Reaver. The second one had a horrible glitch that prevented me from progressing (don't make that bird dissapear, man!). I don't care much for the actual Kain games. So I didn't buy it. There's a laundry list of games I said I would get once the price dropped on them, but still haven't because I figure I would never get around to playing them. I haven't even gotten around to playining a lot of the games I have bought. Makes me wonder how the hell publishers think they'll get away with raising game prices next gen. Are they not noticing how fast so many games I hitting bargain bin prices? Doing this is only going to accellerate the process, and result in even more consumers so are willing to wait for price drops. If they want more and more games to be bought at full price, they need to start releasing fewer games that are of a much higher quality. Until then, I'll be taking advantage of their stupidity, and loading my shelves with cheap games that I probably won't get around to playing. A winner is me.