From another article on the same site as the above article. In recovery, an addict's persona is described:
"....the human, the existing individual with all of his values and aspirations, displaces the inhuman force of the addictive desire that had insidiously taken over the personality of the addict...."
Wow. And there you have it. Doubting perceptions? The addict you're dealing with isn't in his or her right mind, and not even in his or her right personality!
It's like invasion of the body-snatchers only the invader is drugs and/or alcohol.
This idea helps me bring compassion to some of the people from my past, and it also points to the reality of how pointless it is dealing with active addicts on anything resembling reciprocal rationality.