When you have a serious substance use disorder, life becomes a game of survival. Each and 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. People struggling with addiction have to learn how to shield themselves from the reality of their behaviors.

Whether you label these defense mechanisms excuses or lies, it all boils down to rationalizing the addiction. And believe it or not, addicts 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.

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 an addict believes that life is meaningless. They are so consumed with pain and grief that the depression seems to justify the

 

rampant substance abuse.

This is a vicious cycle: the more they use, the worse they feel. If only they could realize that abusing drugs and/or alcohol is the largest barrier that holds them 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 them to feel like they’re still calling the shots in life; they don’t want to admit they’re chained to their drug(s) of choice.

 Deep down, most addicts are desperately searching for some kind of justification and – if they can just convince themselves that addiction is a personal choice – it almost feels like they’re in control. Read more…