Take our short alcohol quiz to learn where you fall on the drinking spectrum and if you might benefit from quitting or cutting back on alcohol. You can also call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline. This free helpline is available 24/7 and can help match you to programs, treatments, and support groups in your area if you live in the United States. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Alcohol use disorder can include periods of being drunk (alcohol intoxication) and symptoms of withdrawal.
- Sometimes denial can be helpful for a little while when dealing with a stressful or traumatic situation.
- Unfortunately, alcohol so disrupts clear thinking that alcoholics can deny reality past the point that they are still alive.
- When you address your loved one’s drinking, use compassion and empathy.
They feel the need to justify and protect their actions as a personal choice or right. We need to learn what alcoholic denial is and why it happens to people with drug https://rehabliving.net/ problems. We need to be able to approach with empathy to the loved ones who are reluctant to change, helping them face the truth and become more open to change.
Signs of Denial in Alcoholism
For example, someone might express that they can handle alcohol just fine or that they only drink socially; it’s not a problem. This deflection helps them maintain control over how others perceive their drinking while avoiding facing the reality that they may have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Blame involves shifting responsibility for their drinking onto external factors. An alcoholic may blame others or situational circumstances rather than take ownership of their behavior. For instance, they might say things like, “If my spouse didn’t nag me all the time, I wouldn’t need to drink,” or “It’s just because of the stress at work that I have to drink.” While addiction denial may seem like a method of protecting yourself from hard truths about your behavior, continued denial can be harmful.
Denial is closely linked to addiction, especially in those with an alcohol use disorder. The person can’t or won’t see that their drinking is out of hand and they need substance abuse treatment. Despite the hardships of this condition, there are ways to help people with alcoholic denial and alcohol abuse issues. People with an alcohol addiction may lie to mask shame or to avoid ridicule from their peers.
Table 2 presents results predicting AUD proband denier status using a backwards elimination logistic regression analysis that included variables that differed significantly across deniers and non-deniers in Table 1. Four variables contributed significantly to the analysis including three of the criteria predicted in Hypothesis 5 along with a SUD on illicit drugs other than cannabis. Optimally, the impact of specific criteria should be evaluated while also considering the relationship of denial to drinking quantities, the number of alcohol problems, and whether an individual has alcohol abuse or dependence in DSM-IV. A large majority of two generations of SDPS participants whose interviews indicated a current AUD did not characterize themselves as problem drinkers. The authors offer suggestions regarding how to identify those drinkers in need of advice regarding dangers of their behaviors.
Why Do Alcoholics Lie and Blame Others?
Many people with the disorder are reluctant to seek rehab, partly because alcohol is a central part of their life. And they know that rehab could compromise their relationship with alcohol. Alcohol use disorder is a pattern of alcohol use that involves problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol or continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems.
Depression can fuel addiction denial by causing low emotions, unhelpful thoughts, avoidance, or escape mechanisms. These can perpetuate feelings of denial by prohibiting someone from examining their addictive behavior and addressing the issue head-on. Finally, a person moves from denial to accepting their addiction when they recognize the issue and are mobilized to change it. It is a means of coping with anxiety-provoking or distressing thoughts or emotions. When it’s difficult to accept information about oneself or the world, denial can serve as a way to distort or downplay the truth, keeping a person from facing reality.
Why Do People Deny That They Have a Drinking Problem?
This article explores the signs of addiction denial and when to seek help. In short, “there’s not a single image of AUD,” points out Sabrina Spotorno, a clinical social worker and alcoholism and substance abuse counselor at Monument. People who are high functioning with a drinking problem “seem to have everything together,” says Matt Glowiak, PhD, LCPC, a certified advanced alcohol and drug counselor. They’re able to successfully manage tasks around their work, school, family, and finances, he says. Some people with alcohol use disorder hide or deny they have difficulty with alcohol use. There are many reasons why someone would do this, like fear of societal rejection or being “blamed” for their condition.
According to studies, individuals who are able/willing to identify and acknowledge specific consequences of their substance use are more likely to recognize the need for change (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Rationalization involves coming up with justifications or explanations to make their drinking seem reasonable or acceptable. They might say things like, “I only drink to relieve stress” or “Everyone drinks; it’s a normal way to unwind.”
Addiction can be a never-ending cycle because addictive substances are both molly withdrawal symptoms the comfort and the problem for the person who is addicted to them.
For those dependent on a substance, talking to a healthcare provider is the best way to develop a plan for detoxing safely. Denial can persist for short or long periods and looks different for everyone. However, as addictive behaviors become more disruptive to a person’s life, it can be harder to deceive oneself and others and ignore what is happening. So, when supporting your loved one, it can be beneficial to lead with love, compassion, and understanding. If they’re not receptive, keep trying — and set boundaries to protect your own well-being. Instead, she recommends seeking more formal support with Al-Anon or therapy to help you create boundaries and care for yourself.
In addition to supporting your own mental health, this serves as a role model to your loved one. Sometimes, a person’s personality can influence their tendency for denial. Certain traits, such as independence and perfectionism, can add to a person’s hesitancy or reticence to seek help, says Grawert. There are empathetic, actionable ways to support someone with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) who may be stuck in denial. When a loved one has a drinking problem, it’s hard to know how to help, especially if they are in denial.
This helpline is answered by Ark Behavioral Health, an addiction treatment provider with treatment facilities in Massachusetts and Ohio. Loved ones sometimes protect the person who is experiencing an alcohol problem, making excuses for their poor behaviors and failure to manage responsibilities. Oftentimes, enablers are family members who are attempting to protect the person with the alcohol problem. Binge or heavy drinking can wreak havoc on a person’s love life, work responsibilities, and in some cases, result in legal problems. Additionally, long-term effects of alcohol result in brain damage and compromise different functions of the brain, including insight and other frontal lobe processes. Not wanting to admit their alcoholism to anyone does not mean they don’t see the problem.
You may use denial as a way to protect yourself from having to see, deal with, or accept the truth about what’s happening in your life. Learn how to recognize denial, better understand how it affects the cycle of addiction, and how to help yourself or someone you know get past it. Sarah Allen Benton, M.S., LMHC., LPC, is a licensed mental health counselor and author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic. At The Retreat, we believe in grounding our program on spiritual principles like those found in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). By providing education and guidance within this framework, we empower individuals to confront their denial head-on while offering them tools for sustained sobriety. False agreements give the appearance that they are willing to address the issue and seek help.