I saw this with my ex too Jerry.
She told me that while with her previous partner that she thought she was an alcoholic. She told me that his answer to everything was to buy alcohol. Then she told me that he went with her to an AA meeting and she decided it was not for her. With me, she told me that while we were apart, she would limit alcohol intake to two glasses per week but as soon as we were together this bloated up to 2 bottles per week, sometimes 3.
It was difficult to know what to believe, but the only conclusion I can reach is that her mind was in some way tortured and both he & I were seen as the bad guy no matter what. Strangely, as soon as she met me, once I became the bad guy 7-8 months in, he suddenly became ok and was a nice person again.
It can't always be someone else's fault.
Yes I suspect that she knew she had shame, I imagine from her perspective her issues are extremely intrenched and difficult to overcome. I remember one incidence where she was beginning work on her narcotic addiction and I went home and she had torn her NA book to pieces. She's just not ready to get well at the moment, content in her misery. I believe reality is something she detours from in her disorder.