Denial is a commonly used word in drug and alcohol addiction. Many times when someone doesn’t repond to therapy or a particular program, it is often said that they are still in denial about their problem. If a client is unco-operative in group, or one to one settings, often denial is the reason given.

What is denial?

A simple explanation might be a failure to realize or acknowledge the seriousness of a condition or it’s consequences.

Is denial limited to drug and alcohol addiction?

No. not really. When people are told of the seriousness of any medical condition, there is a percentage of clients who will deny what is actually happening to them. Many people with high blood pressure, or advanced heart disease, do not change their ways. Many don’t even take their medications properly.

The same is true with drugs and alcohol. The interesting thing is that the percentage of people in denial is about the same regardless of the condition. It is no more prevalent in addiction, than it is in obesity, heart problems or cancer. It just gets talked about a lot more in addiction. Denial is a problem, but it isn’t the only one.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 16th, 2006 at 11:02 pm and is filed under Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.