Hidden Alcoholism and Family Denial | momlogic.com
The complete denial by Diane’s family and their unwillingness to even consider that she made some horribly poor choices that morning which led to this tragedy further perpetuates the myth of “what an alcoholic looks like,” or the belief that a “mother would never do this.” As a clinical psychologist, I can tell you alcohol and drug addiction knows no race, class, or gender. Any person, even a loving and devoted mother, can struggle with alcohol dependency.
It does amaze me the number of people that have a hard time considering that a woman who looks Diane, works like she did, has a family, could be an alcoholic. It’s sad to hear her husband describe her as the “perfect mother.” It sounds like both she and her husband were in some serious denial.
That level of denial is quite common in families with “hidden” or “functional” alcoholics.
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