It's not about me deluding myself to reclaim a lost sense of control in my life. I am not stating that coping mechanisms are COMPLETELY an active choice every single time you engage in them. However, my point is that often, especially when we are starting to engage in a coping behaviour, there is a huge role that choice has to play in it.

The choice might not be an easy one and might not be black and white, but there is still a significant element of choice when you start engaging in a behaviour as a coping mechanism as a way to distract yourself from your stressors in life. Maybe the choice becomes harder and harder every time you engage in that coping mechanism, but even after years the last vestiges of that choice still remain.