Threat To Identity Stops Harmful Drinkers Recognising Their Alcohol Issues

By Emma L. Barratt Here in the UK, one in five hospital admissions is the result of heavy drinking. Those who drink to the extent of needing medical assistance, as well as those who are caused problems by their own alcohol consumption, are known as harmful drinkers. This group is characterised not only by their high levels of alcohol consumption, but a surprisingly low level of problem recognition. Generally speaking, harmful drinkers are known for being resistant to seeing that they have an issue with drinking, often to avoid being labelled as an alcoholic, which comes with a huge amount of stigma. This phenomenon is part of what gave rise to the well-known phrase “I can stop anytime I want”. However, this creates a significant barrier to treatment. “If there’s no problem, what’s there to fix?“ Researcher James Morris, alongside colleagues from London Southbank University and Northumbria University, believe that this kind of label avoidance is a prime target that psychologists can exploit to increase uptake of treatment in harmful drinkers. Their new study in Addictive Behaviors suggests that the solution may be as simple as reframing the issue. People often think of drinking issues as binary — you either have one, and by extension are an alcoholic, or you don’t have any issues with alcohol consumption. This kind of binary disease model belief, however, is a simplistic approach. What’s more, the threat to identity posed ...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Alcohol The self Source Type: blogs