Il est très difficile de voir un membre de la famille ou un être cher boire une spirale hors de contrôle et devenir dépendant. C'est alors que le déni s'installe. Le déni est utilisé par nous tous à un moment donné de notre vie pour justifier nos actions envers nous-mêmes ou envers les autres, que ce soit consciemment ou inconsciemment.

Common examples of denial are someone dieting and saying, “one more cake won’t matter”, when knowing full well it does. This examples is only a simple example, but for an alcoholic or drug addict denial can be fatal. Alcoholics or individuals with drink problems will use denial to rationalise their way of thinking and behaviour.

Addicts in denial often use defence mechanisms and are unwilling to seek treatment. These mechanisms are really strong feelings that often require a more focused, structured approach. This is when the guidance of a professional interventionst, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, or addiction specialist is needed.

The common symptoms are blaming their parents for their problems, which constitutes blaming others for their behaviour. They may end up lying to friends and family and hiding alcohol around the house. They may act in anger or anything where they do not have to admit they have an addiction. “You’re nagging is the reason I started drinking in the first place”. They will say anything to get you to stop going on, and except their drinking is normal. It helps them believe they are ok. This normally makes you feel, “well maybe everyone drinks like this, and I am just making a load of fuss over nothing”. This in turn can start loved ones off on the road to drinking. The sad part of all this is, these thought processes become a way of life, and denial becomes a part of you. This protects you from the truth as you don’t really understand addiction. The sad part is, the addiction will only get worse. It will never improve until someone can break through the denial.