Ignorant Bliss Concept
The Ignorant Bliss concept in addiction treatment was first introduced by British author Simon Chapple in the book How to Quit Alcohol in 50 Days.[1]Chapple, Simon. How to Quit Alcohol in 50 Days. Sheldon Press. Search this book on 
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The concept relates to those with addictions moving through five clearly defined stages from addiction to sobriety and allowing them to understand that, once they have moved past the first stage, they can never return.
Chapple's concept[2]Chapple, Simon (2021). "How to curb your drinking in Dry January or beyond". GQ Magazine. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)</ref> builds on Karni and Vierø (2013, 2015) [3]Karni and Vierø. Awareness of Unawareness - A theory of decision making in the face of ignorance (PDF) (Report).CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link)</ref> principles of the evolution of people's beliefs as they become aware of new acts, consequences, and the links among them.
The 5 Stages to Sobriety
- Ignorant Bliss - Unawareness
- Awareness - Accepting there is a problem and internal conflict
- Education - Learning what to do to address the problem
- Practice - Putting education into the real world
- Mastery - No longer addicted
Chapple believes that addicts spend a vast majority of their time in the ignorant bliss phase, during which time they have no concern about their addiction and no desire to change.
Only when an addict encounters a cue or trigger that causes them concern around their problem will they move into a state of awareness (stage 2). They will also experience internal conflict at this stage.
Most addicts believe that using their substance of choice again will return them to a state of ignorant bliss; this is a key contributor to relapse. But Chapple teaches that it is impossible to ever return to this stage once an awareness of the problem has developed.
By helping addicts understand that it is impossible to return to the state of unawareness (stage 1) again and that when they use a substance they will only increase internal conflict, it has been possible to help people with addictions understand that there is little benefit in returning to substance use because they will not achieve the outcome they believe they will, which is ignorant bliss, as it no longer exists.
References
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