Addictive Thinking
It doesn’t matter what you are addicted to – you will have ‘Addictive Thinking’ (Twerski, 1997). This addictive thinking tends to be informed by:
- Denial
- Rationalisation
- Projection
- Justification
- Minimising
- Blame
These serve to create:
- A distorted perception of time
- A distorted perception of reality
- A distorted self-image
These cognitions are largely unconscious: “Virtually all of an addict’s defence mechanisms are unconscious, and their function is to protect the addict from some intolerable, unacceptable, and catastrophic, awareness” (Twerski, 1997).
It is unclear if this kind of distorted thinking preceded the addiction, or is a consequence of it. Nor are these distorted ways of thinking unique to chemically dependent people. They are, however, particularly entrenched and sophisticated in such individuals.
Denial
Denial is almost always unconscious. In rehabs, counsellors will often say that DENIAL stands for ‘Don’t-Even-Know-I-Am-Lying’.
Denial is not conscious or wilful, and the addict will probably be unaware that they are lying and really believe that what they are saying is the truth.
By affiliating with other addicted individuals and refusing to acknowledge their addiction, members can reinforce their denial, by supporting the illusion that their use is both normal and controlled.
i.e. “you don’t drink any more than me….you can’t be an alcoholic (and therefore nor can I)”.
Denial is a defence mechanism. The question, perhaps, is against what?
- The person may feel stigmatized at being labelled an addict or an alcoholic
- The person may consider addiction to indicate a personality weakness or moral degeneracy
- The person may think not being able to use alcohol or other drugs again is frightening
- The person may not accept the concept of being powerless and not in control
Denial is a defence against reality, against the truth of one’s life, and serves to protect the individual from having to take responsibility for it.
Rationalisation
As with denial, rationalisation is an essentially unconscious cognitive process:
- It tends to be plausible i.e. ‘I had to go to the pub to watch the cricket’
- Diverts attention away from the true reasons
- Rationalisation tends to be an unconscious process
Rationalisation reinforces denial: i.e. “I had a beer because the springboks lost”.
Projection
In this context, projection can be defined as blaming others for things we should be taking responsibility for ourselves. Projection serves two functions:
- It also reinforces denial
- It helps preserve the status quo