Lack of Intimacy Alcohol can cause intimacy issues that lead to breakups, estranged marriages or lost friendships. Intimacy is defined as closeness or familiarity in a relationship. Your partner's alcohol use can damage these aspects and cause you to lose trust in the relationship.
The vast majority of outcomes from alcoholism are negative, and damaged relationships are a common byproduct of alcoholism. Anyone who is struggling with an alcohol abuse disorder should seek professional help to gain the proper coping skills and tools to overcome this addiction.
There is a strong association between antisocial personality disorder and alcoholism. Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of regard for laws and authority. People who have antisocial personality disorder engage in dangerous behaviors, lack guilt and display low impulse control.
Dating an alcoholic can be challenging because it can negatively impact the relationship and the individual's emotional well-being. Alcoholism can lead to emotional distance, communication problems, and trust issues, and it can cause individuals to prioritize alcohol over the relationship.
Whalen (1983) described four types of 'wives of alcoholics' viz. suffering Susan, controlling Catherine, wavering Winifred and punitive Polly, where the disturbed personality of the wife was a significant contributor to alcoholism in her husband.
Alcohol dependent persons rarely present secure connection to others and more often manifest mistrust in interpersonal relationships and avoid closeness and intimacy.
Generally, alcoholics seem to have the same kinds of personalities as everybody else, except more so. The first is a low frustration tolerance. Alcoholics seem to experience more distress when enduring long-term dysphoria or when tiresome things do not work out quickly. Alcoholics are more impulsive than most.
Other Common Alcoholic Personality Traits
Others will be irritable, anxious, and aggressive both when they drink and when they go through alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol dependence can also make a person impatient and easily aggravated. Additionally, you might notice impulsiveness or other erratic traits.
Alcohol brings out another side to a personality that the sober person doesn't always agree with. This is when alcohol in a relationship becomes a problem: when you can't trust someone drunk, you probably shouldn't associate with them when they're drinking; even if you like them sober.
Axis I disorders commonly associated with alcoholism include bipolar disorder, certain anxiety disorders (e.g., social phobia, panic disorder, and post–traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), schizophrenia, and major depression (Helzer and Przybeck 1988; Kessler et al. 1997).
Additional Alcoholic Personality Traits
Often someone who is abusing alcohol will also display the following signs and become: Insecure. Sensitive. Impulsive.
Alcoholism & Drug Addiction
If alcohol or drugs are impacting your partner's life in a negative way—be it their work, health, or relationships—that is a sign of addiction.
While under the influence, someone suffering an addiction may make reckless choices that they would never make when they were sober, such as lying, stealing, and cheating on a partner. Sadly, committing acts of infidelity is common with alcohol addiction.
In many cases, addiction can cause or worsen infidelity. In some cases, infidelity may cause or worsen substance abuse or addiction.
Wives of alcoholics show signs of anxiety, depression, aggression and cognitive impairments as indicative of high levels of psychological distress (19).
The stress of living with an alcoholic partner can cause you to develop physical health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and chronic pain. You may also experience physical injuries, such as bruises or broken bones, from domestic violence.
Definition of Problem Drinker
A problem drinker is someone who experiences a negative effect from drinking but is not necessarily dependent on alcohol. For instance, someone who becomes angry or verbally abusive after a few drinks may be considered a problem drinker, as long as he or she is not addicted to alcohol.
In 1980, the third edition of the Manual, DSM-3, identified alcoholism as a subset of a mental health disorder. The current edition, DSM-5, classifies alcoholism, now referred to as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) or Substance Use Disorder (SUD), as a mental disorder presenting both physical and mental symptoms.
Popular wisdom holds that our true desires and feelings tend to come to light while we're drunk. Although drinking alcohol can definitely lower your inhibitions, there's no evidence to suggest that alcohol necessarily unlocks any deep-seated feelings or desires. Still, alcohol can change who we are, in some ways.
Generally, people drink to either increase positive emotions or decrease negative ones. This results in all drinking motives falling into one of four categories: enhancement (because it's exciting), coping (to forget about my worries), social (to celebrate), and conformity (to fit in).
Alcohol can make some people more emotional than usual, causing them to cry more easily. However, for some, alcohol can cause anger and aggression, which can become a real problem.