Saturday, October 11, 2014

Denial, Substance Abuse, and Deception

Do you worry about a loved one's drinking?

Are you fretting over your teen's possible drug use?

Do you own or are responsible for a company in which substance abuse is nothing but trouble and need to learn the truth?

Statement Analysis is key.

Someone recently quipped, Denial?  Yeah, "D E N I A L" means "Don't Even Know I Am Lying", which, at times, certainly seems like a correct statement.

One who's brain has worked diligently at protecting itself from the truth has done so, little by little.

Rarely will someone wake up one day and say, "I am a drug addict. I need help."

This is why interventions are often used, as someone is confronted, often not with proof of drug abuse, but the evidence of drug abuse.

The drug user often thinks that if no one sees her take pills, she didn't take pills.  This goes on, in some cases, for years.

The family does not always see the results of such because they are too close to the scene, and the changes in the personality, are often so slow that it takes someone from the outside to say, "Wow!  She has got a major drug problem here!"

In an intervention, those present may not be able to say that they saw the subject using, but can say, "I have seen the evidence of drug abuse.

What does the evidence look like?

In a recent case of a talented and successful businesswoman, the signs, over the past few years, were so subtle that family was left behind the curve.

Missed appointments.

Hey, every body misses appointments sometimes.

Lots of missed appointments, which add up to a strong signal:  Neglect.

Drugs and Neglect are first cousins.

The Neglect can be anything from neglect of children, neglect of a spouse, neglect of business, and neglect of self.  This is especially true for someone who is normally quite responsible.

Erratic Behavior  Inconsistent, illogical, followed by times of lucid thought.  Giving orders one day, retracting them the next, yet still demanding why they were not followed on the third day.


Mood Swings.  This is something that really impacts office morale, especially if the addict or drug user is a supervisor, manager, or in upper management.  It can become downright abusive and hostile as the mood changes due to changes of the drug content in the bloodstream.


Forgetfulness   Some drugs actually sharpen memory.  People snort ADHD to get a mental rush, but what happens later, when it all comes crashing down?  The language crashes ("joneses") just as the body does.


These, taken by themselves, do not suggest drug abuse, but when taken together, especially from a normally successful person, they can point to drug abuse.

Linguistically, Statement Analysis gets to the truth.

The interview must be conducted very carefully.

In an employee employer relationship, as employer, are you prepared to pay for drug treatment?  Does your company have a drug testing policy?  If so, you may have to have a program of professional assistance and depending upon the drug abuser's drug of choice, length of use, and other personal attributes, could cost you, the employer, up to $60,000 and more, for treatment.

You must be careful.

If you listen to the subject (hopefully you have taken statements and have been trained in Analytical Interviewing), you will have learned that those in denial are not exempt from the princples of Statement Analysis, in particular, of the Reliable Denial.


1. Know your company's internal policies
2.  Get training in Statement Analysis and Analytical Interviewing.  Know what is a legally sound question and what to stay away from.

Better yet:

Learn to ask the right questions to screen out potential substance abusers from gaining employment in your company, and stop the trouble before trouble enters the front door.

Q.  What can you tell me about substance abuse in our office?

A.  Who, me? I've never, I mean, I, I never even know what drugs look like. Why would you ask me?  This is ridiculous.  This is persecution.  You better be asking everyone else here, too.  I know my rights. I took piss tests.  They never found nothing.  I am so sick of it.  I, I, I am always being targeted. You're gonna stand here and accuse me?"  


Statement Analysis gets to the truth.  How many principles can you identify in the one statement above?  Name them in the comments section.  

Get your company trained.

To learn more, contact Peter Hyatt at PHyatt1962@gmail.com for training.


10 comments:

Layla said...

1) Answering a question with a question.
2) Interrupted thought.
3) Use of the word "never".
4) Denial without having been accused.
5) Use of the word "this" bringing the subject of drug addiction closer to the subject.
6) Use of the word "so" overemphasizing how sick they are of being accused even though they were not accused indicating they have been accused in the past.
7) Use of the word "stand" indicating increased tension within the subject when he or she feels he is being accused.
8) Stuttering on the word "I" indicating increased anxiety for the subject.

Unknown said...

^^^ditto!

Good job. :)

Anonymous said...

Delay and deflection- asking a question, then taking a position instead of beginning the answer. Sensitive- repetition of I and use of never.

I know my rights. I took piss tests. Truth.

They never found nothing. Subject not denying there was nothing to be found, just that it was not found.

I am so sick of it. I, I, I am always being targeted. Diversion. Sensitive repetition. But again no denial.

Reference to body posture, indication of sensitivity.

John Mc Gowan said...

1) Answers question with a question
2)Broken sentence.
3)missing information.
4)Future conditional.
5)Possible embedded admission.
6)"This"=close.
7)Double negatives.
8)Stuttering, increased tension.
9)"Targeted" = Subjective internal dictionary.
10) "Stand" = increased tension.
11) Avoided the question completely.

Tania Cadogan said...

A. Who, me?
answers a question with a question

I've never, I mean, I, I never even know what drugs look like.
Never does not mean did not.
Stuttering of the pronoun I.
Never know what drugs look like
Self edits, i never, becomes i mean, becomes i,i,i never even know..
Paracetemol, cough medicine aspirin are all drugs, go into any phamacy and you will see drugs.
Also all those tv ads you have over there for various drugs(legal) as well as all those reality cop shows, new items etc.
Almost everybody has an idea of what drugs look like.
They don't differenctiate between legal and illegal drugs which would cause me to ask what type of drugs don;t they know how they look?( there answer would likely reveal what they have taken since it would be at the forefront of their mind)
Never know doesn't mean Don't know.
What drugs do they refer to?
For them to say they never know what drugs look like would indicate they have an idea about what drugs are being referred to.
Anything in the negative is sensitive.

Why would you ask me?
Asks another question in response to the question, making it even more sensitive.
Indicates sensitivity, why not ask you if they are asking everyone?

This is ridiculous.
This is close, that is distancing, they are close to the question.
Why is it ridiculous?

This is persecution.
The question asked is a generic question, no direct accusation has been made yet immediately they go on the defences and then offensive.
have they been asked a similar question before?
When were they last asked?
What happened at the end of that interview?

You better be asking everyone else here, too.
Indicates sensitivity.
The question was What can you tell me about substance abuse in our office?
A simple generic question with no identifiers in it as to who might be suspected/involved yet the subject takes it as personally aimed at them, their response indicates sensitivity.
This smacks of the everyone does it/they all do it as well, minimising of guilt and sharing the blame.
If you get me then you have to get them as well as a defence springs to mind.

I know my rights.
if you have done nothing wrong, why would you need to invoke your rights?
This would lead me to ask if they have invoked their rights before?
Tell me what rights would those be?

I took piss tests.
Tell me all the times you took these tests?
Were these tests prior to employment?
Are they a regular part of your employment contract?
If they are not a regular part of your employment contract, why did you take them?
Were they voluntary or enforced?
What were the results?

They never found nothing.
Double negative.
They don't say they came back clear, only they didn't find nothing.
That they didn't find it doesn't mean it wasn't there.
what were the tests looking for? What specific drugs were tested for?
How much notice was given prior to the test?

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.

I am so sick of it.
Why would you be so sick of it?
Do you have to do frequent tests?
Why do you think you are tested as often as you are?

I, I, I am always being targeted.
Stuttering of the pronoun I indicating sensitivity, especially since there is little to no stammering elsewhere.
Stammering of the pronoun I occurs in relation to knowing what drugs look like and being targetted.
Why do you think you are always being targetted?
Do you think that your behavior gives a cause for concern to your employers and co-workers?

You're gonna stand here and accuse me?"
Answers a question with yet another question,
3 questions in their reply to the initial general question.
Stand is introduced into their reply.
Introduction of body posture indicates tension.
Tell me what you feel you have just been accused of?

This is off the charts sensitive,
I would ask if they are currently taking any kind of medications OTC or prescribed.
If yes, what medications those are and what for.

When they were prescribed if applicable or when they were purchased.

When they took their last dose?

I would ask if they would be willing to provide a urine sample right now.

What does the subject think should happen to a person if their test came back positive for a prohibited drug?

If their result were to come back positive, what would they say to that?

if their test came back positive, would they be willing to accept whatever help was available?

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing you got a letter form the company's lawyer is why some comments leading up to the starting of a new business venture has been (passive and lazy I know)removed.

Many online are trying to assemble a lynch mob in order to take control of other people's business, assets, etc. One restaurant is suing an advertising agency for extortion because every time the owner declines their services, he writes bad reviews hoping to drive good customers away.

It is, in fact, extortion.

Anonymous said...

An example of why family intervention isn't always best:
Woman released from prison after serving 17 years for a murder she did not commit. Her police officer sister (vetted by the government so she must be reliable)claimed the woman was the biggest liar she'd ever known. As it turned out, some gang members murdered the victim and her children grew up without a mother because others really just wanted the "truth" to be known.

Tania Cadogan said...

Anon did you read about that guy released from prison after doing 30 yeards for murder/
he murdered when he was 15.


His family organised a party to welcome him home, he got into an argument with his mom and beat her to death, now he is back in jail on $1 million bail. He was out of jail for 2 days.

I wonder if part of the motive was he was institutionalised as well as him having anger issues.

i am not surprised he has killed again if proven.
I feel sorry for his family who perhaps hoped for the best and a reformed and contrite man.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/10/13/authorities-convicted-murderer-just-freed-from-prison-beats-mother-to-death/

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I saw that. He must have blamed his mother if she made him confess to the crime and then was brutalized in prison. I also read where another beat his mother's skull in with a hammer and then had sex with her corpse.

It is for this reason I don't think everyone elses kids are adorable and do not appreciate them using their little bundles of joy to terrorize others for clicks, gossip and referrals.

When they show up to damage my property and another says, "Oh, don't you think they are just being kids?" I just cringe! But, when they damage their property it's a big deal and the psychobabble never ends.