Denial?

An outpatient client’s been struggling for a while with the idea that he's not allowed to drink while he's in treatment. He claims he’s not an alcoholic or addict and that the restriction is an invasion of his privacy. He protests a lot, saying he enjoys socializing with friends each weekend. They have a few drinks as part of the socializing.

However, his counselor questions him because he frequently talks about how sad he is about not being able to drink. After all, someone without a problem just says "okay, I don't need to drink until I'm through this process." And for most people, that would probably be the end of it.

As for me, until I admitted had a problem I couldn't change. For a long time I chose not to recognize that drinking and drugging had created more than one mess in my life. I had DUIs. I'd lost money and businesses. Personal relationships broke up. People didn't invite me back. More than one employer gave me my walking papers.  Until I got out of denial I tried to convince myself and everyone else that my troubles were due to bad luck, karma, or that maybe the world had it in for me.

I hope this client figures out if he has a problem with drugs and alcohol. I’d hate to see him wait as long as I did to get into recovery.