6 Lies All Addicts Tell Themselves (and You)
When you have a serious substance use disorder, life becomes a game of survival. Every day is dedicated to avoiding withdrawals and hiding the outward signs of chemical dependency from friends, family and co-workers.
On top of that, feeding an addiction means developing an arsenal of psychological defense mechanisms. When you struggle with addiction, you have to learn how to shield yourself from the reality of your behaviors.
Whether you label these defense mechanisms excuses or lies, it all boils down to rationalizing the addiction. And believe it or not, people with addictions lie to themselves more than anyone else.
When your actions have tainted everything you once held dear, yet you continue participating in that pattern of destruction, lying to yourself essentially becomes the path of least resistance.
If you've engaged in your addiction for a long time, you may have never known a social life, or a sex life, without drugs in the equation. The sobering truth is, life will be too short if you don't end or greatly reduce your substance abuse.
Let's explore the 6 common lies all addicts eventually tell themselves and you
Lie #1: I don’t care about my life and I don’t care if my addiction kills me.
It's a sad, low point when you believe that life is meaningless. You are so consumed with pain and grief that the depression seems to justify the rampant substance abuse.
This is a vicious cycle: the more you use, the worse you feel. If only you could realize that abusing drugs and alcohol is the largest barrier that holds you back from discovering a meaningful existence.
Lie #2: I’m in control of my substance use. I can stop whenever I want to.
Control is a big deal for most addicts. This statement allows you to feel like you're still calling the shots in life; you don't want to admit you're chained to your drug(s) of choice.
Deep down, as an addict, you are desperately searching for some kind of justification and if you can just convince yourself that addiction is a personal choice it almost feels like you're in control.
Lie #3: I would never be able to manage my problems without drugs or alcohol.
When you're struggling with addiction, even the smallest life problems can become amplified. Everyone has issues, but in your addiction, you convince yourself there's no way to survive without self-medicating. What you don't realize is that substance abuse makes things worse, and addiction is likely causing a majority of your problems.
By living this lie, you may feel as if your substance abuse is somehow warranted. It allows you to justify being stuck in a drug-fueled rut.
Lie #4: I’m nothing like Johnny. He’s in bad shape and he definitely needs help.
As an addict, you may like to compare yourself to other addicts as a way to gauge your level of substance abuse. You may say things like, "Johnny got busted for two DUIs last year, but I never get behind the wheel when I'm wasted."
As long as there is someone out there who's much worse off, it's easy to feel superior and justify your less-severe addictive behaviors. The twisted comparison is really just a foreshadow of what may happen if you don't get professional help and soon.
Lie #5: My addiction doesn’t affect anyone else.
This is probably the most universal lie among addicts. Despite seeing pain and confusion on the faces of loved ones, it's easier to deny that reality. Instead, you see friends and family members as enemies, constantly judging you and trying to dictate your path in life. You confuse concern with control and often respond with, "If I want to do drugs, then that's what I'm going to do, and you can't stop me." This lie represents the selfishness that plays such a large role in addiction.
Lie #6: Life without drugs and alcohol is boring. Life is too short to be sober!
Giving up your drug(s) of choice in pursuit of a healthy, sober lifestyle can be very scary. The process includes finding new hobbies, new friends, new ways to celebrate and new ways to relax. Just because you're sober doesn't mean the party has to stop.
This common lie comes from a place of fear.
