Nothing unusual about that-all of his friends are heavy drinkers. He's blacked out a few times, driven home and not been able to recall how he got there. Twice, George has landed in jail on drunk driving charges. Still, he insists he always drives carefully, even after drinking. But that's what he said after his first arrest.
Denial takes two major forms.
First, the alcoholic insists that he or she can drink like other people. This means that there are always ready excuses for the exceptional times-for the fights, the arrests, the blackouts, the hangovers. It's someone else's fault. It's harassment, bad luck, or just too much pressure. Not like themselves at all.