Denial of Alcohol Use Disorder
Visit Soberlink to learn more about their remote alcohol monitoring system.
Your loved one is coming home from court-ordered rehab soon. After years of late-night benders, visits from police officers, and expensive lawsuits, you may feel uneasy accepting them back into your home. Will they stay sober? Can you believe them if they tell you their alcohol problems are over? They’ve lied in the past. How can you believe what they tell you?
Family members know all too well that people with substance abuse issues have almost always refused to tell the truth or face the reality of their condition. In other words, they are in a constant state of denial.
Honesty is often the first thing compromised during alcohol use disorder. According to Very Well Mind, below are various types of denial behavior involving lying:
- Blame: People attribute their drinking behavior to external factors such as other people, situational circumstances, or bad luck. “She makes me so mad I have to have a drink.” “If my job weren’t so frustrating, I wouldn’t need a drink.” “It’s bad luck that the cop stopped me after I left the bar.”
- Concealing: The person starts to conceal their drinking and denies it when questioned. “No, that’s just a breath freshener you smell.” “Yes, I stopped at the bar just to say hi to the guys.”
- Defensiveness: The individual is justifying their decision to drink. “It’s my body and my life; nobody else’s business.”
- Dismissiveness: The individual either avoids discussing their drinking or denies its severity. “Let’s not talk about this now, okay?” “Stop nagging me about drinking.”
- False agreement: The person acknowledges a problem and agrees to take action, but fails to follow through. “Yeah, I need to cut back.” “This is my last drink.”
- Making comparisons: People with alcohol use disorder often excuse their drinking to themselves as a normal pattern. “I don’t drink as much as Charlie, and he’s not having any problems.” “At least I’m not drunk all day like my dad was.
- Rationalization: The person explains their excessive drinking in a way that justifies or rationalizes it.“I only had two.” “I haven’t had a drink in a week.”
Accountability in Recovery
Being accountable when new in recovery can be a daunting task. For someone who is newly sober, life without alcohol is truly like being reborn. It takes a lot of work to do the most basic acts of living. Once an alcoholic has some time in recovery, they gain more responsibility. Responsibility is a bit different than accountability. Responsibility is task-oriented. Recovering alcoholics become part of a team with their recovery groups. They complete “tasks” with their team. Accountability is what happens after a situation has occurred. It is how someone responds and takes ownership of their actions.
For example, when the alcoholic was drinking, if they received a DUI conviction, how were they accountable to law enforcement during sobriety? Another example might be if you are in a child custody dispute with an ex-spouse; how were they accountable for their sobriety in that court case?
For the Alcoholic: Three Things to Keep You Accountable in Recovery
- Find an accountability partner—It is important to have a person to contact and check in with during your journey. Accountability partners help you feel special and aid you on your path to success. Find someone who understands your struggle, or maybe in your support group.
- Learn your triggers—Learn your triggers and how to manage them. Write down people, places, and things that trigger drinking. Find the most effective way to handle them. Healthy substitutes are important here.
- Support groups – Various support groups are available to help with alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous is the most well-known. But there are others. Celebrate Recovery is another event, and Women for Sobriety.
Soberlink is an intuitive remote alcohol monitoring system tool to keep alcoholics accountable. Let’s learn more about this highly intelligent alcohol-testing device.
What Is Soberlink?
Proof of Sobriety at Your Fingertips
When indisputable proof of sobriety is needed, there’s no better option than Soberlink. Known as an “alcohol monitoring system,” Soberlink’s technology provides accountability and rebuilds trust.
- Prove Sobriety Anytime, Anywhere: Soberlink uses a discreet and portable, professional-grade breathalyzer designed for convenience and reliable results
- Zero Wait-Time: BAC test results from Soberlink’s breathalyzer are sent immediately to whoever is chosen via text or email
- Results at a Glance: Soberlink’s software uses AI to organize and display all the test results as either green (compliant), yellow (missed), or red (non-compliant) icons
- Know the Right Person is Testing: With a built-in camera and advanced facial recognition, Soberlink automatically verifies the identity, so there’s no way someone else can test for them
- No Room for Cheating: Equipped with sophisticated sensors, Soberlink can detect tampering attempts, including the use of air pumps
Benefits of Using Soberlink
In comparison to other alcohol monitoring systems and sobriety tests, Soberlink can offer many clear advantages and beneficial features. Some additional benefits that are unique to this device include:
- Convenience. The device and all of its components come in a small kit. You can keep one in your bag or even in your car.
- Full-service Customer Support Team and Compliance Department. If you ever encounter any issues with Soberlink, you can easily contact their Customer Support Team for immediate help or feedback.
- Scheduled testing. Soberlink does not support random testing. Instead, you will test at scheduled times up to three times a day, fostering a healthy routine and good habits.
- No recommendation needed. Soberlink is trusted by some of the top addiction treatment centers and clinicians nationwide. It is a voluntary system that you do not need a treatment recommendation to use.
- Wireless connectivity. Soberlink comes with two device options. There’s a Cellular (all-in-one) Device and a Connect Device, which uses Bluetooth.
Soberlink offers many advantages over other alcohol monitoring alternatives. Since its inception in 2011, this device has continued to be a very useful tool to prove sobriety for recovering alcoholics and addiction experts.
Visit Soberlink to learn more about their remote alcohol monitoring system