#denial

#denial

My parents usually weren't in the same house at the same time, though they occasionally made an exception for holidays. We might have dinner, followed by arguments or passive aggressive comments about who didn't help whom prepare and clean up. I longed for the traditions that others had with their families: making hot chocolate, stringing popcorn-such random, small things, but so meaningful when done together as a family.

The field of substance abuse treatment has leaned in hardest on the destructive powers of denial. It's hard to argue with the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous when it states, "Denial is the most cunning, baffling, and powerful part of my disease." In addiction, denial allows a person to continue on a destructive path, wondering what others are so worried about.