As the founder of Sober World, I am also a musician. In the past decade I have played quite a few events at VFW facilities. The recurring theme of Alcohol use and abuse was highly prevalent at all, a focal point I watched from multiple stages. 

Communal self medicating is a social norm at these VFW events, as Veterans recount stories of trauma and friends and sort out the past in their minds. The wives and the children are brought along, and the young people learn harmful coping skills. A side effect is the stress on the body.

​According to Wiki - The Serenity Prayer is the common name for a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). The best-known form is:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference."
Serenity with yourself, and with others and with some sort of higher power, giving us a greater purpose, a good formula for life.

Serenity with me... Means looking in the mirror and smiling, being content with who and what I am, being humble to my limitations, and empowered by capabilities and relationships that enhance my experience.

An interesting topic the other night.
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So the easy definitions are "a refusal to satisfy a request or desire" - or a "refusal to admit the truth or reality of something".

Yeah - pretty much everyone does that at times. You get denied something - or when something doesn't go right - you are in denial of the issue or your involvement.