Addictive Thinking: Understanding Self-Deception

by Abraham J. Twerski

the man suggested that alcoholic thinking is every bit as destructive as alcoholic drinking. To illustrate, the man read the questions from a self-test for alcoholism, substituting the word thinking for the word drinking. Here is what he read: Are You an Addictive Thinker? 1. Do you lose time from work due to thinking? 2. Is thinking making your home life unhappy? 3. Have you ever felt remorse after thinking? 4. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of thinking? 5. Does your thinking make you careless of your family’s welfare? 6. Has your ambition decreased since thinking? 7. Does thinking cause you to have difficulty sleeping? 8. Has your efficiency decreased since thinking? 9. Is thinking jeopardizing your job or business? 10. Do you think to escape worries or troubles? The point is that even in the absence of chemicals, distorted, addictive thinking wreaks havoc. Many addictive thinkers come to their conclusions because they reverse ordinary cause and effect. Their judgment becomes distorted, and as a result taking chemicals becomes fully justified. As one recovering alcoholic put it, “I never in my life took a drink unless I had decided it was the right thing to do at the time.” Although addictive thinkers turn logic around, they are absolutely convinced that their logic is valid. They not only resist rational arguments to the contrary, but also they cannot understand why others do not see the “obvious.”