Narcissism is a personality disorder that may cause individuals to display grandiose and self-involved behaviors. Alcoholism is an addiction where people cannot control their alcohol use. Narcissism and alcoholism may both share similar characteristics and can occur at the same time.
Narcissists are defined by entitlement. Lacking empathy and feeling superior, they give themselves full permission to do whatever the want despite the rules or costs to others. Alcoholics sacred entitlement is drinking. They may lose everything and everyone in their lives before they will give up alcohol.
Narcissism is a personality trait that in some people can be part of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and alcoholism is a substance use disorder, but the two are linked and share similar qualities. Narcissists can become alcoholics and alcoholics can be particularly narcissistic when drunk.
Similarities of narcissism and alcoholism include:
Lack of self-examination. Refusal to take responsibility. Entitlement. Self-destructiveness.
It can be argued that those with NPD and those that struggle with addiction are both seeking something external to fill an internal void. The individual struggling with addiction seeks this from drugs and alcohol, while the person with NPD seeks it from other people's praise and attention.
They Appear To Change Into Someone Else
When narcissists drink, they seem to change into a different person. It's hard to describe, but there's a different look in their eyes. They're more narcissistic, often blatantly rude and selfish. And sometimes in front of people they're normally on their best behaviour for.
Based on overlapping symptoms, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are often mistaken for one another.
Similarly, the types of personality disorders, including their combinations, found to be related to alcoholism are very heterogeneous. The most consistent have been: histrionic/dependent, paranoid, dependent/paranoid/ obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic/avoidant, antisocial, borderline, and avoidant/borderline (54).
Borderline Personality Disorder As A Co-Occurring Disorder
This is why people who have chronically abused alcohol over a long period of time can develop similar symptoms to BPD.
A narcissistic parent will often abuse the normal parental role of guiding their children and being the primary decision maker in the child's life, becoming overly possessive and controlling. This possessiveness and excessive control disempowers the child; the parent sees the child simply as an extension of themselves.
Narcissists value fame, beauty, and success more than relationships. Sure, they date and have friends and often these relationships start out exciting — but fizzle quickly. “People who are narcissistic should have a trail of bad relationships behind them,” Campbell said.
Essentially, the point of the silent treatment is to make the victim feel confused, stressed, guilty, ashamed, not good enough, or unstable enough so that they would do what the manipulator wants.
Someone with narcissism may use alcohol to cope with their personal problems. They may drink alone to conceal their insecurity from the rest of the world. Both conditions may cause someone to engage in similar behaviors. A person may view others as enablers who will help them get attention and alcohol.
Some narcissists - though by no means the majority - actually ENJOY abusing, taunting, tormenting, and freakishly controlling others ("gaslighting"). But most of them do these things absentmindedly, automatically, and, often, even without good reason.
Narcissists can and do love, but their love tends to be superficial and fleeting. They can develop intense emotional attachments—even appearing to "fall in love"—and yet still maintain a complete lack of empathy for the object of their affection.
A person suffering from narcissism and alcoholism very likely has fragile self-esteem, and it can be difficult for them to even admit that they have a problem. And sadly, addiction recovery can be particularly hard for them. If they relapse, they may feel like a failure and can be quick to blame others.
High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum. Weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick.
Some of the most common conditions include depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Each mental illness affects alcoholism in a different way, depending on the longevity and severity of the disorder.
Habitual Non-Listening
Ever spoken with someone who responded dismissively to everything you said? Narcissists brush aside or deprecate what others say instead of truly listening.
However, some studies have also pointed out that narcissistic characteristics may not only arise from childhood environments characterized by neglect/abuse, but also from environments in which a child is sheltered or overly praised [11,14,15].
The development of narcissistic traits is in many cases, a consequence of neglect or excessive appraisal. In some cases, this pathological self-structure arises under childhood conditions of inadequate warmth, approval and excessive idealization, where parents do not see or accept the child as they are.
Typical fears of alcoholics include: Fear of rejection: A common concern of alcoholics in early recovery is that the people they love will abandon them or that they'll be judged. Fear of loss: Giving up your addiction can sometimes feel like losing a close friend or family member.
Although narcissists act superior, entitled and boastful, underneath their larger-than-life facade lies their greatest fear: That they are ordinary. For narcissists, attention is like oxygen. Narcissists believe only special people get attention.
Narcissists thrive on getting attention, feeling special, and having control. He is an expert at getting an emotional reaction out of you – good or bad – because it makes him feel powerful and better than you.