Denial as a Defense Mechanism

Page 1 of 1 Substance Abuse Assessment

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Case Study—Jennifer

Jennifer has a long history of substance abuse dating back to her early adolescent years. After several bouts with co-occurring depression at the age of twenty-four, Jennifer decided to enter treatment for her substance abuse. While in treatment, she worked on her urges, the thought processes surrounding her use, and specific behavioral techniques to change her use-related patterns. At thirty-six she achieved sobriety through the twelve-step model of recovery. Her efforts had paid off. However, the damage she caused during the height of her use began to gradually present itself. She had to face people she had hurt in relationships, pay debts she had accumulated, and serve sentences for crimes she had committed during that period of time.

By the age of thirty-eight, she had worked through many of these experiences and was starting a new career. She admittedly embellished her resume to get the job, and lied about previous experience. She justified this with her belief that “everyone pumps up their resume” to find work. She did not consider the potential consequences of this decision. As time passed, Jennifer settled into her position and was maintaining her sobriety as she planned to do after leaving treatment. She soon felt ready for a relationship. It is well known that the twelve-step model of recovery recommends having a year of sobriety before entering a relationship. Jennifer had easily accomplished this particular task, so she felt prepared by the twelve-step model’s standard. She developed a fulfilling relationship with a man who had recently been divorced due to his wife’s substance abuse issues. Jennifer never disclosed her issues because she did not want to jeopardize the relationship. She found no harm in this decision because, after all, she was not like his previous wife because she had achieved sobriety.

A few months into the relationship, Jennifer and her boyfriend went to a work party where alcohol was being served. Alcohol was not her substance of choice, so Jennifer thought there would be no harm in having a cocktail with her new boyfriend. The effects were devastating. After consuming the cocktail Jennifer consumed four more drinks that lead to her relapse and a weeklong cocaine binge. Her boyfriend was unprepared for her behavior and left her immediately after he found out about her substance use problem. Her boss began looking into her background because of her weeklong absence as well as some inconsistencies between the work skills she displayed and what she reported on her resume.

Jennifer was eventually able to convince her boyfriend to give the relationship a chance by thoroughly explaining her treatment success and the fact that “relapse is expected” in recovery. She begged for his forgiveness citing all the good times they had shared and her belief that they were otherwise perfect for each other. He agreed to reconcile the relationship. She did not have the same success with convincing her boss of her suitability for the job and was released from the company. Her boyfriend moved her into his home and supported her until she found work. She was able to maintain her sobriety for another year before she began stealing money from his bank account. He forgave her again due to her ability to rationalize her actions. She continued this pattern for many years into their relationship.