Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Alcoholism

Drinking alcohol lowers inhibitions and can increase other narcissist behaviors including self-absorption, denial, illusions of grandeur, and destructiveness. These behaviors can lead to poor choices, including drinking and driving or excessive consumption, which can be fatal. This article discusses the similarities and differences between people with narcissistic personality disorder and people with alcohol use disorder and where and when they overlap. It also discusses the various treatments available for people experiencing these disorders. Healthcare professionals may ask people about their drinking habits to assess AUD.

Alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder , is an addictive disorder where people cannot control or stop their use of alcohol. People with AUD may be unable to reduce or stop drinking despite experiencing the negative effects of alcohol or a desire to quit. Someone who has a diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder experiences grandiose, arrogant behavior patterns that are coupled with a lack of empathy and need to be admired. These behaviors are at the expense of other people, including loved ones. Alcoholism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder have some overlapping behaviors.

How to Find an Effective Alcohol Rehab for Narcissists

Individuals who are experiencing these symptoms would benefit from considering a treatment program for alcohol abuse. A person struggling with alcoholism can appear to dismiss friends and family to spend time with others that support their need to drink excessively. To family, it can appear that their loved one is putting these newfound friends ahead of them . ​​​​When someone is deep in an alcohol addiction, they become very self-absorbed.

Alcoholism is more than just occasionally drinking too much and causing a scene. It’s a disease where the person suffering lacks the ability to stop once they have started. There are diagnostic criteria you can check within the DSM to see how many signs of alcoholism or narcissism apply to your partner. You may have some idea that you’re dealing with an alcoholic narcissist, but the two conditions are complex and can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD, is a Cluster B personality disorder in which a person’s idea of his or herself is unnaturally heightened and often leads to both social and interpersonal consequences.

Entitlement, exploitativeness, and reasoning about everyday transgressions: A social domain analysis

If you want to provide financial support, buy the goods and services the addict needs instead of giving them money that they might use to buy alcohol or drugs. Do not shield the addict from the consequences of their addiction. People are more likely to change if they have suffered enough negative consequences. You both need to create a new life where it is easier to not use alcohol or drugs. Often, the well-meaning supply finds himself/herself Sober House believing that maybe they WERE wrong, after all. But in reality, the narc has just pulled yet another gaslighting job on them. Often there are two or more enablers – one who helps the narcissist feel good about himself/herself, and another who encourages the addiction . This video offers insight into the psychology of narcissism and addiction. At the same time, both conditions can create a feeling of self-absorption.

• Denial manifests for alcoholics in many ways, such as saying they can stop drinking anytime they want, lying about when they drank, or refusing to acknowledge that their drinking has costs.
• At the core of most narcissistic personality traits and traits of alcoholism is a deep insecurity and low self-esteem that drives their self-destructive behaviors.
• These individuals will debate, argue, distract, or back you into a corner, due to the way alcohol affects them.
• Narcissistic personality disorder and substance abuse often go hand-in-hand.
• We conducted mediational analysis with asymmetric confidence intervals and a bias-corrected bootstrap technique.

It is a personality disorder, which is a mental health disorder. Common narcissistic traits of NPD include grandiosity, inflated self-image and self-worth, as well as a lack of empathy. Individuals with a narcissistic personality disorder will put all of their time and effort into keeping up appearances and receiving praise in order to fill their void. However, the attention and admiration that they require will increase over time. Similarly, individuals with substance use disorder will have to increase dosages over time in order to produce the same desired effect. When individuals with either disorder feel as if they are not receiving an adequate amount of attention or substances , they will experience anxiety, depression, and other adverse psychological effects.

Ways Narcissists and Alcoholics are Similar

AddictionResource.net is not a medical provider or treatment facility and does not provide medical advice. AddictionResource.net does not endorse any treatment facility or guarantee the quality of care provided, or the results to be achieved, by any treatment narcissism and alcohol abuse facility. The information provided by AddictionResource.net is not a substitute for professional treatment advice. Treating both disorders while at a recovery treatment center can help a person remain sober once they’ve completed the program.

About half of those with a mental illness will experience a substance use disorder at some point in their lives, and vice versa, according to several national surveys. National Institute of Mental Health to learn more about personality disorders. To get the support you narcissism and alcohol abuse deserve, you’re going to need to seek professional help. Finding the appropriate mental health and addiction professionals is the next hurdle. AddictionResource.net is a referral service that provides information about addiction treatment practitioners and facilities.

Facets of grandiose narcissism predict involvement in health-risk behaviors

While it may seem daunting, these two conditions are best tackled together. AUD is progressive, meaning it will only get worse over time without treatment. AUD can also be fatal (e.g., increased risk of accidents, suicidal behavior, assault, and physical effects of excessive alcohol consumption and withdrawal). If people have risk factors for AUD, feel they are drinking excessively, or cannot control their alcohol intake, they can speak with a healthcare professional.