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Normal people have no reason to lie gratuitously. But alcoholics are different. For them, life is one long lie.
Honest self-appraisal would lead them to accept the fact of their addiction. But honesty would force them to stop drinking or to turn to daily inebriation. Neither course is attractive, so they adopt a pattern of glibly lying about their drinking.
If all they lied about was their drinking, it would be bad enough. But they become as addicted to telling falsehoods as they are to ingesting alcohol.
The alcoholic soon learns that lies empower. Telling a falsehood places the liar in a position of superiority over others. He knows he’s lying and they do not. Turning others into fools for believing the lie is raw meat to the alcoholic ego. Practice does make perfect, and most alcoholics become slick fabricators.
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