dry drunk

noun

1. an alcoholic who is not currently drinking alcohol but is still following an irregular undisciplined lifestyle like that of a drunkard

Example Sentences

Like every dry drunk, I’ve been told the key to getting through the minefield with your chip intact is to have a plan and stick to it.

From Salon

“But, to be honest, there is such a thing as a dry drunk. I could see that he was in a very delicate position.”

From The New Yorker

An early girlfriend is “an eccentric small-town empath”; his younger self “the dry drunk poet with a Scrabble board full of mental illness acronyms”; his mother “a lifeguard on the shores of Lake F---ed.”

From Washington Post

Nick is what some AA circles would call a “dry drunk”, someone who acts like an addict even though they’re on the wagon.

From The Guardian

“You are what is considered a ‘dry drunk.’

From Seattle Times