For years, there have been rumors that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani likes to imbibe.
There are also reports from the Trump administration that Giuliani was known to show up for meeting with former President Donald Trump half in the bag or close to stinking drunk, with fellow Trump attorney Michael Cohen telling MSNBC host Ari Melber in October of last year:
“The problem here is that Rudy isn’t a soldier. Rudy is—Rudy is drunk all the time, which is a big problem and that’s what makes him susceptible because his faculties are gone. He behaves crazy.
“I’ve seen him drink to the point like he’s a high school drunk.”
Rudy, however, denies that he has a drinking problem, but he did so in a way that suggests he does indeed need a stint in rehab.
Speaking with NBC New York, Giuliani was confronted with the fact that many Americans think he’s squandered the goodwill he earned in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.:
“I am aware of that. And what’s happened is, our country has gone off the rails…I’m exactly the same person. They changed!”
Translation: It’s not me, it’s you!
Confronted with the accusations that he often drinks to excess, Rudy responded:
“I don’t think I’ve ever done an interview drunk. I mean, I drink normally. I like Scotch, I drink Scotch.
“I’m not an alcoholic. I’m a functioning, I probably function more effectively than 90 percent of the population.”
In other words, it sounds like Giuliani is what’s known as a functioning alcoholic, which is defined as:
Functional alcoholics may seem “normal” to other people, even while under the influence, and may appear to have a higher tolerance for alcohol. They may not experience overt blackout episodes, display significant personality changes, or lose control of their emotions due to alcohol use. In some cases, an element of luck may be at play to explain how a more functional alcoholic has seemingly dodged some of the consequences of their problematic drinking; however, these people may still be fundamentally struggling with an addiction similarly to those with more immediate or recognizably debilitating issues.
But just because you can hold down a job and appear “normal,” that doesn’t mean you don’t drink too much.
One thing’s for certain: If indeed Rudy is an alcoholic, it would definitely help explain some of the bizarre things he’s said and done in recent years, including trying to get damaging information on the Biden family from Ukraine, which led to Trump being impeached.
Featured Image via NBC News
