Drug Addiction, Denial and You

Help your loved one overcome their denial to their drug addiction!

It seems every addict has suffered from denial at one point or another. Drug addiction, an inability to admit to it and the fact that it’s difficult to believe all make denying one’s own drug addiction a much easier thing to do than to cope with, confront and admit to the problem. You’ve heard it, or maybe you’ve been the one that said it–”I don’t have a problem,” or “I don’t drink too much,” or “It’s all in good fun.” So, how do you manage a situation in which an individual is in denial?

Denial, What is it?

Denial is a way of the brain coping with a situation that is difficult for an individual to deal with. People don’t just go into denial because they are addicted to drugs. Many people suffer from denial as a result of a traumatic experience such as a death in the family, a bad car accident or some other event in which the reality is just to difficult to believe and to render.

For drug addicts, denial is like a fantasy world that makes them feel as though nothing is wrong. Simply put – it’s just easier to deny drug addiction than it is to deal with it. Drug addiction takes control of an individual and denial is just another aspect in which addiction has taken control. Control of mental thought, control of choices and control of everything that matters in life.

Keeping Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

The old saying, “Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer.” This holds true for recovering drug addicts too. Drug addiction is difficult to understand—unless you are a recovering addict yourself. Keeping other recovering addicts around you allows you to always have someone to talk to and it also assures that a watchful eye is around to see denial when it starts, preventing you from falling into the denial path. Sometimes, although the truth is right under your nose, denial cuts in and before you know it you’ve fallen victim once again.

The road to recovery is a difficult path but long term recovery is possible. Denial is yet another speed bump that you may hit during your drug addiction, it’s a hurdle that you will have to overcome in order to recover and it’s also a situation that may later arise long after you have recovered from drug addiction.

Recovering from Denial and from Drug Addiction

Denial, like drug addiction, requires time to recover. Denial has a way of knocking recovery out of the loop. During recovery there will be times when denial kicks in. It’s most important to recognize times when denial hits and to cope with the terms of the addiction, the recovery and ultimately denial. You’re not alone, denial happens to everyone in some form or another. During recovery, talk to someone, accept help and keep in mind that denial is just another part of the recovery process that must be managed.