With that said, there are challenges to delivering appropriate care for the dual diagnosis. Personality disorders like NPD are those in which a person has a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning, and behaving. Substance use disorders like AUD are characterized by mental and physical addiction. Alcohol use disorder is a type of substance use disorder where a person cannot control or stop their alcohol use.

• Because a person with NPD will often approach therapy with ambivalence or negative feelings, they are more likely to discontinue therapy early or have a harder time tolerating the discomfort of the treatment process.
• If you know someone who regularly uses alcohol, it’s possible that narcissism might be one of the influencing factors.
• They will do anything to avoid scrutinizing their inner selves, even if it means drinking so much that it hurts their lives.
• The association remained intact even when researchers accounted for general psychological distress as a trigger for coping responses like alcohol use.

Combat Social Anxiety

She has a Master’s degree, undergraduate degrees in English and Sociology, a diploma in Holistic Herbal Therapy, and is trained in mental health first aid, anti-violence work, and peer support work. If you have NPD and AUD, finding support can be challenging because they are two separate disorders with two separate treatment approaches. By narcissism and alcoholism way of example, a person must meet five of nine possible criteria for NPD to be diagnosed, ranging from grandiosity to a lack of empathy.

• They have yet to confront the shame, guilt, or past trauma that drew them to alcohol in the first place, so are at risk of relapsing.
• Alcohol acts as a lubricant, making the vulnerable narcissist feel more at ease in social situations that may otherwise seem overwhelming.
• Depression causes a person to have a consistently negative outlook and affects a person’s thoughts and actions.

Treating Alcoholism and Narcissism

People with narcissistic traits often need to maintain their image of perfection to earn admiration from others. They will con a way to buy alcohol, drink in secret, and find a way to cover their drinking. For narcissists, manipulation is a way to use someone to get the reactions or attention they desire. Alcoholics and narcissists can also rapidly change moods and behavior. If you’ve dealt with a narcissist you know that one minute they can be charming and pleasant but then turn around and become threatening and attacking.

Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism and Alcohol Outcomes

This means that they don’t like to seriously think about their behaviors. They avoid reflecting on their insecurities and lack of self-esteem by drinking. People with this type are much more sensitive, and narcissistic behavior helps protect them from feelings of being inadequate. Although they go between feeling superior and inferior to others, they feel offended or anxious when other people don’t treat them as if they’re special. Coping with an alcoholic narcissist can be challenging, and setting clear boundaries to protect yourself is important.

Additional Facts About Alcoholism

They may challenge or completely ignore the limits you try to set or enforce. This could lead to them giving you silent treatment until you do what they want. With that in mind, here are 12 signs that might suggest you may have experienced narcissistic abuse. Narcissistic abuse syndrome is a non-medical term that collectively describes the specific and often severe effects of narcissistic manipulation. If the person does not want to enter treatment or change, there may not be hope for healing.