My therapist really chewed me out last week saying I lied to her. I have been saying my drinking isn’t a big deal, I could stop at anytime, I don’t drink much, and other stuff alcoholics frequently say. I honestly believed this stuff at the time I said it. Then I drank two or three six packs one night, then a twelve pack the next.
Anyway I really don’t want to talk to my therapist anymore after she said I was lying and thought I should be drug tested. I admit that I am an alcoholic.
Was it out of rebellion??? Cuz usually when somebody tells me to not press the red button, I press the red button. Not to minimize your risks and maybe you can work on your drinking habits. Maybe don’t have to call yourself an alcoholic right away. But working on compulsory risks more than anything
You know yourself best though. you have to be the one diagnose your alcoholism. Maybe that’s what you’re doing here.
Pfft. Alcohol is bad for you. But I have my own problems…. I guess if your going to drink just don’t do stupid things. That’s why I had to give up drinking.
But the answer is your therapist is usually right. They piss me off sometimes too and I stop going in.
They say they’ve struck a nerve when the patient stops showing up. It’s usually an avoidance technique of the patient.
From your therapist’s point of view it’s hard for her to treat you if you aren’t honest. From your point of view you were just in denial. The best way to handle it now is to have a frank conversation with them and say hey look it really upset me that you chewed me out for not being honest when I was as honest about my problem as I could be at the time. And then let your therapist know that you are ready to face the problem.
Without knowing the whole situation I’m going to play devil’s advocate, and I would say that it sucks to get called out by a therapist, but it is sometimes needed. I dont know how they went about it, but we need to hear the hard truth sometimes and even if our feelings are hurt we still need to hear it. You’re a longtime alcoholic who has fallen off the wagon, the only way back on that wagon is by being brutally honest with yourself.
That’s by no means an excuse for the therapist to be rude and if they weren’t professional then that is an issue, but it’s their job to challenge you. They’d be a bad therapist if they didn’t call out their known addict client when they see them going down a bad path.
I understand why you’re upset, and it is hurtful, but perhaps talk to them about it and see if you can find common ground on your goals and their intentions.
Therapists aren’t supposed to baby you. You know you lied and she does too. Alcoholics never like hearing the brutal truth. Nor do smokers. Or other drug addicts.
Keep her. She’s honest enough to care about your well being.
I went to AA/NA five years ago or so, at my case Manager’s insistence. I was sober for two and a half years until I because depressed and suicidal in 2019. I been drinking off and on since then.
My psychiatric team has decided I need to go to three meetings a week and get counseling with a Peer Recovery Support Specialist. You are not supposed to say you’ll never drink again, but that is my intention right now.