The Edge You've Been Protecting: What High Achievers Gain When They Get Honest About Alcohol

By Laurél Kimpton, MPS, LADC

You’ve built something real. A reputation. A career. A life that looks, from the outside, like it’s running exactly the way it should. You meet deadlines, show up for people, and keep moving forward — even when you’re running on fumes.

And at the end of the day, there’s a drink waiting for you. Maybe two. Occasionally, when something doesn’t go as planned, and that person at the office is quick to call your blunder; that evening you don’t remember the drink tally.

You’re not what most people picture when they think of someone with a “drinking problem.” You’re not losing jobs or waking up in strange places. You’re functional. High-functioning, even. So the question you’ve probably never let yourself sit with is this:

What does alcohol actually do for you?

Not in a confrontational way. In an honest one. Because the answer to that question might be the most important thing you’ve never been asked.

When you wear a mask every day it's easy to loose yourself in the hustle.

It Starts as a Solution

Dr. Gabor Maté, a respected voice in addiction medicine, offers a reframe that changes everything: addiction isn’t a moral failing or a lack of willpower. It’s a solution — one that worked, at least for a while.

In his framework of Compassionate Inquiry, Maté asks not “why the addiction?” but “why the pain?” What unmet need does this behavior serve? What does it help you feel, manage, or escape?

For high achievers, the answer is often something like this:

•  Alcohol quiets the internal critic that never fully clocks out.

•  It creates an artificial boundary between “work mode” and rest — because you’ve forgotten how to shift gears without it.

•  It numbs the anxiety that lives just beneath the surface of a high-performing life.

•  It’s the one part of the day that belongs entirely to you.

None of that makes you weak. It makes you human. It means that somewhere along the way, alcohol became a coping strategy that felt effective. The problem isn’t that you found a solution — it’s that the solution has started costing more than you’re letting yourself acknowledge.

The Hidden Tax on Your Edge

High achievers often rationalize alcohol use by pointing to everything that’s still working. And it’s true — things may still be working. But there’s a quiet cost that rarely gets named.

The sharp thinking you pride yourself on? Alcohol disrupts REM sleep, which is when your brain consolidates memory, processes emotion, and restores the cognitive clarity that fuels your best work. You’re not just tired. You’re operating with a dulled version of the mind you’ve spent years developing.

The emotional resilience you’ve built? Alcohol is a depressant. Over time, it lowers your baseline mood and raises your baseline anxiety — meaning you need more of it to feel the same relief. The thing you’re using to manage stress is quietly amplifying it.

The relationships you value? Presence requires being present. Even functional drinking can create a quiet distance — a version of you that shows up, but only partway.

You’ve been protecting an edge.

But the thing protecting it may be quietly eroding it.

Getting Honest Isn’t Losing — It’s Advancing

Here’s what I’ve seen in my work with high-achieving clients: the moment they stop defending their drinking and start getting curious about it, something opens up.

Not shame. Not collapse. Clarity.

When you ask yourself “what does alcohol do for me?” with genuine curiosity rather than defensiveness, you start to see the real need underneath. And real needs can be met in ways that don’t cost you your sleep, your cognition, your mood, or your health.

Getting honest about alcohol isn’t an admission of weakness. For people like you, it’s an act of precision — the same analytical rigor you apply to every other area of your life, finally turned inward.

The achievers who do this work don’t become lesser versions of themselves. They awaken themselves. Sharper. More grounded. More present to the life they’ve worked so hard to build.

You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

At Indigo Recovery, I work with people who are used to handling things on their own. People who have built entire lives around not needing help. I understand that coming forward — even privately, even in a telehealth session from your own home — can feel like a significant step.

It is a significant step. And it’s also one of the most strategic ones you can make.

My approach is private-pay, telehealth-only, and built around discretion. No insurance paper trail. No sitting in a waiting room. Just honest, judgment-free work grounded in Compassionate Inquiry, CBT, and a deep respect for who you are and who you’re becoming.

You’ve been protecting your edge for a long time. Let’s make sure what you’re protecting it with is actually serving you.

About the Author

Laurél Kimpton, MPS, LADC is the founder of Indigo Recovery LLC, a private-pay, exclusively telehealth addiction counseling practice serving clients across Minnesota. With nearly two decades of experience as an Integrative Wellness Specialist and Coach and a background in clinical addiction counseling, Laurél brings a deeply person-first, compassion-centered approach to her work. She draws on Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry framework, CBT, DBT, and a faith-informed philosophy that sees every client as a valuable person — not a broken project.

Indigo Recovery specializes in individual addiction counseling, chemical use assessments, DUI/DWI education programs, and support person education for families, HR professionals, and other professionals (attorneys, MDs, JDs, probation officers, etc.). Services are confidential, HSA/FSA eligible, and designed for people who value privacy and discretion.

Ready to take the next step? Connect with Laurél at www.indigorecoveryllc.com or reach her directly at Laurel@indigorecoveryllc.com | 612-293-0427.