During admission to a recovery facility, the patient states I dont have a problem with alcohol I can handle my booze better than anyone I know My boss is a jerk I havent missed any more days than my co workers Your best response is

• A. Maybe your boss is mistaken.
• B. Why do you think your boss referred you here?
• C. You are alcoholic and you know it.
• D. Was drinking interfering with your work Lets talk about you and your feelings.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is to use a therapeutic, nonjudgmental question that centers on how drinking affects the patient’s life and invites them to talk about their feelings. By asking whether drinking has interfered with work and offering to discuss the patient’s feelings, you shift the focus from denial to real-life consequences and emotional experience. This opens space for reflection, helps assess the level of impairment and readiness to change, and builds rapport—crucial at admission to a recovery facility.

This approach is best because it is collaborative and nonconfrontational, which reduces defensiveness and encourages the patient to share thoughts and emotions. It also keeps the conversation patient-centered, allowing you to gauge the impact of alcohol on functioning and explore motivation for change.

The other responses land poorly because they either label or accuse, which can provoke resistance; or they steer the discussion toward external factors (like why the boss referred the patient) rather than the patient’s own experience and feelings.