Recovery Coaching » drug addicts

Denial: The Twilight Zone

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:29:36 +0000

Why do addicted people keep doing what they are doing? You may think that they know the consequences well enough. Many have seen their relationships break up, their children gone, their job prospects vanish, and have attended more funerals in a few years than most people attend in a lifetime.

Why don’t they know that their addiction is causing the problems? How can they continue with the addiction and manage to ignore the consequences. Many addicts look at the trail of wreckage in their wake and believe that their drug or alcohol use is the solution. So how can it be the problem?

This way of dealing with two opposing ideas, that their drug or alcohol use is the solution and the problem, is in part, what denial is all about. Denial works best if it isn’t spoken out. Those close to the addict know its best not to mention the addiction. Then the illusion can be maintained, the enigma does not need to be unravelled. Keep the truth under the surface.

We all have denial to some degree or another. It is a defence mechanism that helps us deal with all the impossible stuff going on in the world around us. How can you cope with famines, and children dying, and wars and a bad economy? Better to let ‘denial’ come in and allow us to operate at a functional level. If we analysed what was going on, we would need to deal with too many contradictions.

This is the addicts’ plight. If the denial kicks in and he pretends that there is no problem, then the addiction could kill him. Denial then ceases to be a defence mechanism. If he admits to denial he then needs to deal with the addiction. But he can’t give up because the drug or alcohol is the solution. Catch 22!

The denial concept then needs some refinement. If the addict comes to the point of admitting that the drug or alcohol is the problem, then they will have to take ownership and give up the offending behaviour. But often, they cannot do it. So they may try to control the offending habit. It is at this point, with help, that some manage to get on the cycle of change. But mostly, the addiction is about loss of control, and the addict loses sight of the goal again but may continue to believe that he is in control. In this smoke and mirrors world, many can go on for years in this state. It is denial that keeps them in this twilight zone.

Denial is a form of control that affects the addicts family. Relationships are established on co-dependent grounds. The family also adopt the denial as a coping mechanism. As long as there is no problem to deal with, the addict can justify his behaviour or project it on to others. It will work for them as long as it stays underground.

Housewives Hooked on Cocaine

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:39:05 +0000

It’s a depressing scenario, but it’s becoming a frightening reality in many middle-class households as women turn to cocaine to cope with the exhausting daily grind of juggling their professional and family lives.

An alarming report has revealed that the number of women abusing cocaine is almost at the same level as men for the first time, with 750,000 Britons having used the Class A drug in the past year. And one in 15 women under 25 admits to using it. Read more from this Daily Mail article Housewives hooked on cocaine

Housewives Hooked on Cocaine is a post from: Recovery Coaching

Drug addicts playing havoc with family life

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:03:44 +0000

Addiction pays no respect to class or creed as this piece from the Saudi Gazeet online reports

Drug addicts playing havoc with family life : By Maha Sami Aboulola
JEDDAH – When looking for a bride for their son, one of the most important considerations for Saudi families is the reputation of the bride’s family, which is based on centuries-old Saudi tradition.
Reema Abdulhadi, 31, a private sector employee, has been forced to join the ranks of the Kingdom’s spinsters despite her beautiful face. A large number of suitors come to ask for her hand, but they never come back after the first visit.
“I am a well educated girl from a good family but, unfortunately, my father is a drug addict who steals and is in and out of jail because of his addiction,” she said. Read more of how drug addicts play havoc with family life

Drug addicts playing havoc with family life is a post from: Recovery Coaching

Drug addicts face losing benefits

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:15:14 +0000

Drug addicts face losing benefits
Plans to cut benefits for drug addicts in London who do not attend treatment programmes are to be discussed in the House of Commons. Read more on the BBC website about drug addicts face losing their benefits

Drug addicts face losing benefits is a post from: Recovery Coaching

Recovery Coaching » drug addicts

Denial: The Twilight Zone

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