“It takes a village…” recovery does not happen alone. Sober living creates an instant support group to help the newly sober individual to live a Clean & Sober lifestyle. Isolation is common in addiction and often why you don’t get the help you need. Being in a home with other people like you, who want to live Clean & Sober, creates a sense that Sobriety is possible.
Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholic’s normal personal, family, social, or work life.
The chronic alcohol consumption caused by alcoholism can result in psychological and physiological disorders. Alcoholism is one of the world’s most costly drug use problems. While alcohol use is required to trigger alcoholism, the biological mechanism of alcoholism is uncertain. For most people, moderate alcohol consumption poses little danger of addiction. Other factors must exist for alcohol use to develop into alcoholism. These factors may include a person’s social environment, emotional health and genetic predisposition. In addition, an alcoholic can develop multiple forms of addiction to alcohol simultaneously such as psychological, metabolic, and neurochemical…
For more information about the topic Alcoholism, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Detox — Detox, short for detoxification, in general is the removal of toxic substances from the body. It is one of the functions of the liver and kidneys…
sciencedaily.com
Denial, Rationalization and Projection
These are the 3 most common elements in addictive thinking. The process of eliminating these distortions in thinking is key to the recovering addict’s healing.
The addict’s distorted self-perception is the biggest problem they have.
Denial, Rationalization and Projection are unconscious defense mechanisms, which protect the addict from some intolerable, unacceptable and catastrophic awareness. Until an addict gains an awareness of his or her own unconscious defense mechanisms and beliefs through recovery, they can do nothing to stop them.
Denial:
Denial in normal circumstances is considered lying. While addictive behavior includes lying, denial in addictive thinking does not include telling lies. The denial of addicts is neither willful nor conscious—they believe they are telling the truth.
While denial is often a gross distortion of the truth, it is the truth to the addict.
Denial: a defense against what? What is so terrifying to the addict that their psychological system needs to deny reality? The awareness of being an addict or alcoholic, first and foremost.
Why?
1. The stigma of being an addict/alcoholic
2. They think it equates to moral or personality weakness.
3. They may be frightened by the thought of never using their drug of choice again.
4. They may be frightened or appalled by the concept of being powerless or not in control.
Rationalization and projection reinforce denial and preserve the status quo (so you don’t need to make any changes).
Rationalization means providing ‘good’ reasons instead of the true reason. They sound reasonable and are very deceptive.
Projection: placing the blame on others for things we are really responsible for ourselves.
E.g. (reinforces denial) I’m not an alcoholic; she makes me drink.
(preserves status quo) Why should I make any changes? She is the one at fault.
Another e.g.: “As long as you do this to me, you cannot expect me to change.”
Addictive projection primarily serves to allow the addict to continue the use of chemicals; it will disappear on its own when sobriety is achieved.
The co-alcoholic or codependent also uses these same three defense mechanisms. That is their disease.
Based on Addictive Thinking: Understanding Self-Deception, by Dr. Abraham Twerski, M.D.
La Rhea U. Steindler LCSW
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