Addicts view life as a survival game. Each day they are committed to preventing withdrawals and hiding the physical signs of dependency. In addition to this, addicts must also develop a collection of defense mechanisms in order to avoid the harsh reality of their addictive behaviours. These defense mechanisms are needed in order to rationalise their addiction and often come out as lies or excuses.
Friends and family are able to see the addict’s destructive behaviour for what it really is, and can find it incredibly difficult to comprehend the lies addicts use to justify their behaviour. Addicts end up lying to their loved ones, though the ones that they are lying to the most are themselves. The addict can do this because they are in denial and their own thoughts are misleading. They do not only use lies to rationalise the way they behave, but they actually believe the lies they are telling.
Here are the 5 most common lies addicts use to justify their habits.
1. My Addiction Only Affects Me
Perhaps the most common lie amongst addicts is that they believe their addiction does not affect anyone else. Even though they can see their loved ones hurt and confused, they choose to deny that experience. Instead, they view their loved ones as opponents who are trying to control the way that they live their life. They usually think that concern is control and end up making statements like I’m going to do drugs if I want to.
2. I Can Stop Whenever I Want
Addicts become stuck in denial and lose their ability to think logically. A person who says that they want to keep abusing substances, even though it is having severe negative consequences on their life is truly in denial. These are the kinds of people who may have lost their jobs, ruined their relationships and face legal issues because of their addiction, but they say that they could stop if they chose to, it is just that they do not want to yet.
3. Everyone Else is Doing it
While other people may be having the occasional drink, or a few drinks and call it a night, certainly not everyone else experiences the same consequences that an addict does. Addicts tend to compare themselves to other people when they see them having a drink amongst friends, which causes them to want to go overboard and become drunk to the point of losing control. Addicts cannot stop after a drink and would not dream of doing it anyway.
4. If You Were in My Shoes, You’d be if Drinking/Using, Too.
Every person on this planet has their own set of problems. Addicts are not special in that regard. Many people can handle their issues without needing to use and abuse alcohol or drugs. The reality is that an addict’s problems become even more complicated by their addiction since they damage their life and efforts of improving.
5. The Yets
Every addict will reach a point known as the yet. This includes a list of things that an addict will say that they have not done something yet, such as lose a job, been divorced or had an accident because of their addiction, which is supposed to make it sound as though they have a grip on their problem.
What Can You Do To Help?
The previous excuses are only some of many lies addicts use to justify their behaviour and continue with substance abuse. The only way that an addict can stop justifying their behaviour and seek the treatment that they need is to see the reality of their situation. Loved ones must stand their ground and not accept the lies addicts use. While lies are common with addiction, loved ones can help by making the person aware of their actions in real time, refusing to help or enable, staging an intervention and contacting an addiction rehab centre.
Addiction treatment programmes provide addicts with the right environment to receive the help that they need. It is ideal to find a programme that includes Mindfulness-Based Therapies, such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which is a cutting-edge method that can significantly improve a person’s life by allowing them to recognise and change harmful thought patterns and regain control of their thoughts, which decreases automatic reactions.
Contact The Dawn Drug Rehabilitation Centre Thailand
The Dawn Medical Rehab and Wellness Centre offers a unique and effective holistic treatment approach that can help people overcome their addiction and change their lives for the better. Contact The Dawn today to find out how our affordable, high-quality treatment programmes can help you or someone you love overcome addiction.
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