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We all use defenses at times to protect our inner selves from being hurt. The alcoholic, because of his drinking behaviour, is more vulnerable and open to attack. He therefore uses defense mechanisms with increasing frequency. They become a part of his daily pattern of coping, of protecting himself from the paranoia and guilt he would otherwise feel. They are fairly successful because they relieve his immediate anxiety, yet unsuccessful because they block his ability to see and experience reality. This distortion of perception caused by the excessive use of defense mechanisms accounts for the discrepancy in the interpretation of events and behaviour given by the alcoholic as compared with that given by other observers.

Feelings locked in by Defense Mechanisms.

• OBSESSIONS
• INADEQUACY
• GUILT
• FRUSTRATION
• POWERLESSNESS
• INFERIORITY
• FAILURE
• ANXIETY
• SELF-PITY
• REMORSE
• DEPRESSION
• SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY
• ISOLATION
• AGGRESSION
• RESENTMENT
• SELF-HATRED
• LOSS
• SHAME
• HOSTILITY

Regression
When the alcoholic is under stress, he may resort to immature patterns of behaviour in order to avoid assuming adult responsibilities. These may include the disregard of the consequences of actions and the seeking of immediate gratification. Drinking both facilitates and excuses this behaviour. Regressive acting-out behaviour such as temper tantrums, screaming, crying, sulking, etc., may be present even when the alcoholic is not drinking and may serve to focus the attention on the childish behaviour rather than the drinking.

Denial
This is the most commonly used unconscious defense. Here the need to protect the inner self from psychological pain is so strong that even something that is done everyday - like drinking - is denied. It must be remembered that denial originates form the subconscious mind, and is a total blanket like defense which covers everything in a massive effort to protect the inner self from pain.

Selective Recall
Here the alcoholic chooses what he wants to remember. From an experience, he will select facts that support his viewpoint and which therefore justify his behaviour. Selective recall focuses on the need to place behaviour and feelings within acceptable norms. E.g., "Joe was playing the concerned host and I did not want to hurt his feelings so I let him drive me home."

Euphoric Recall
When the alcoholic is intoxicated, he is capable of remembering accurately what he has said or done. The effect of the chemical alcohol on the brain relaxes his inhibitions and makes him feel good. This is what he remembers. "I was terrific at the party" rather than his slurred speech and staggering gait. This perception and memory distortion contributes powerfully to an alcoholic's inability to see and appreciate reality and to his failure to recognize and accept the fact that he is on a downward spiral.

Repression
The alcoholic continually represses from the conscious mind behaviour that is too painful or shameful to remember. The more bizarre the behaviour, the stronger becomes the need to suppress it. Repression prevents the alcoholic from recognizing the reality of his behaviour e.g. he will wake up in the morning and repress the disastrous events of the previous night because they are too uncomfortable to think about. Instead he will rather focus his thoughts on the demands of the day that lies ahead.

Projection
Things we dislike in ourselves and cannot accept are very often unloaded onto other people who are then disliked for this trait, which we see in them. For the alcoholic, guilty and self-hating as he is, others become hateful and bad. Blame for his drinking is laid at their doorstep, justifying his drinking and his aggressive and hateful behaviour towards them. E.g. to wife: "You are the reason I drink. Just look at yourself, nagging, whining, moody. You don't care!"

Rationalization
This form of defense is commonly used by all of us when we do not measure up to our own expectations. The alcoholic uses it to make his drinking seem right. He provides reasons for his drinking, for how much he drinks, for what happened while he was drunk. Any excuse or reason is made to sound feasible and explain away his role in the drinking episode. E.g. "Joe's got a heavy hand with the drinks. Everyone got a little high!"

Minimizing
The alcoholic gives the impression both to himself and to others that he is drinking less than is actually the case. He also minimized the consequences of his drinking. E.g. "I only had a few drinks and it was only a small accident." - when in reality his B.A.C was 0.25 and he wrote the car off!

Intellectualization
The alcoholic finds it difficult to handle the negative emotions associated with his drinking. The understanding of alcoholism in purely intellectual terms is used to prevent rather than promote insight, and keeps the dependency on a cognitive level blocking emotional awareness and involvement. E.g. "I don't know why I had a relapse, but according to the literature, relapse can be therapeutic."

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