Recovery Insights

Denial Management

Understanding the role of denial in addiction and how to move past it.

Denial Management Therapy

Break Through Denial & Take the First Step Toward Recovery

Denial is a protective defense mechanism which can remove painful feelings or uncomfortable emotions. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary fix — the situation has not changed or been resolved; you have just distanced yourself from it by using one of many common denial patterns.

Learning to recognize and change thoughts, feelings, and behaviors is a very important part of addiction recovery. Addiction counseling and treatment requires a shift in the psyche — acceptance is the opposite of denial, and one great step towards recovery is the acknowledgment that you need help.

Recognize the Patterns

Common Denial Patterns

Denial can show up in many familiar ways. Recognizing these patterns in your own thinking is the beginning of change. At Casa Recovery, our therapists help you name these patterns so you can begin to move past them.

One-on-one denial management therapy session between a client and a therapist at Casa Recovery
  • Avoidance — not talking about it
  • Absolute denial — “I don’t have a problem”
  • Minimizing — “It’s not that bad”
  • Rationalizing — “I have a good reason”
  • Blaming — “It’s not my fault”

Understanding Denial

What Lies Behind Healthy Coping Strategies?

Whatever your situation, if you are in denial, you won’t begin to resolve your problems. Denial has been defined as a set of automatic and unconscious thoughts, feelings, urges, actions, and social reactions — and there are different levels of denial.

01
Level

Misinformed

You may just have the wrong information about addiction. You may not realize that you can become dependent on a substance, or what the signs are as they relate to you.

02
Level

Consciously Defensive

There is an internal battle between the addictive thinking which wants you to continue consuming and the sober thinking which wants you to stop consuming.

03
Level

Unconsciously Defensive

You automatically and unconsciously steer your thinking away from any information which acknowledges you are addicted.

04
Level

Delusional

You wholly deny that your substance use is a serious problem in the face of obvious evidence to the contrary.

Learn to Cope

How Casa Recovery Teaches Denial Management

A vital part of drug and alcohol addiction treatment is the learning of denial management strategies. Here at Casa Recovery, our therapists can help you recognize your denial patterns and teach you healthy coping strategies.

You may be delusional about your level of addiction due to brain dysfunction caused by your substance use disorder, but once you have begun the journey of recovery you will have insight into denial. While learning healthy coping strategies in addiction rehab, you will become informed about the role of denial in addiction, learn techniques to help you deal with entrenched thinking patterns, and recognize when you are lapsing into old ways.

Clients practicing seated mindfulness and meditation while building healthy coping strategies at Casa Recovery

San Juan Capistrano, CA

Get Mental Health & Dual-Diagnosis Treatment

By the time you seek help for addiction, you may have woven a huge web of denial and mistruths around yourself, and your thinking patterns will have altered to accommodate your dependence. At Casa Recovery in San Juan Capistrano, CA, we want to help you uncover the issues being buried through denial and deception.

We can provide you with the tools you need to recognize denial patterns and stay sober. Contact us now for a free consultation — you can get your life back on track!

Start with Healing

Recover Your Life

Our helpful staff cares and wants to make sure you heal from your mental health issue or dual-diagnosis issue in the healthiest way possible. Contact us today to start your recovery process and get back to your life.

Reach Out and Contact Our Care Team Today

Casa Recovery offers a wide range of treatment options for those struggling with mental health and co-occurring issues. We are here for you and ready to assist in any way we can. Contact us right now to get the help you deserve from a group of people who care.