How Denial and Enabling Can Delay the Recovery Process in Alcoholism - Assignment Example

Professionals have a hard time treating alcoholics with denial because most of them unrelentingly deny having a problem, resulting in more severe addiction and stronger denial (Stevenson, 2013).

The denial may be so influential that people close by, for example, the immediate family, may also start believing that the problem is not alcoholism, but something else such as depression, bad luck, or just ill health. In the process, those who should encourage an alcoholic to get help to become part of the hindrance to seeking help. Enabling is the other practice that delays recovery from alcoholism. It refers to a protective behavior in which persons close to alcoholics protect them from experiencing the full consequences of their actions; instead, allowing them to continue drinking in the knowledge that someone is looking out for them.

Overcoming enabling is the first step to treating alcoholism. An alcoholic should be prepared to meet the problem personally. Consider a situation where an alcoholic spends money intended for food and paying bills on alcohol. Instead of taking money meant for other purposes to buy food, the spouse may decide to take the children to a relative’s place for a week and let the alcoholic come to a home without food, lights, and water for that period. Only then can such an alcoholic understand and appreciate the depth of the problem.

From the delays caused by enabling and denial, it is clear that social factors affect the tendency of a person to abuse substances. The Cultural Factors Associated With the Use of High-Potency MarijuanaUse of high-potency marijuana has a social impact on society which is the link between marijuana use and violent crime. Studies indicate that crime and drug use occur simultaneously. Friends that encourage others to use marijuana are among the main social factors of high-potency marijuana usage (Stevenson, 2013). Hence, peer pressure and the urge to fit in are rather critical social issues in high-potency marijuana use.