Psychiatric terms often find themselves bandied about in ordinary lives, albeit with a slightly different spin. For example, everyone knows what a Freudian slip is, perhaps has experienced claustrophobia, or is familiar with someone who is a hypochondriac. We even might refer jokingly to someone who works harder than we do as "obsessive-compulsive." Today, a new expression that has entered the vernacular is "to be in denial." Alcoholics, heavy smokers, and drug addicts, for instance, always will claim that they can quit any time they really want to. One can tell them that they just are fooling themselves, but they actually believe they can stop at will. The facts are otherwise, and the only way out for them is to get professional help. Their condition is one of denial. Before any cure involving denial can take place, one must admit the addiction. This first step always is a giant one, and many people never take it.
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