6 Strategies for Managing an Uncooperative Narcissist
These cultures are welcoming of people from a variety of religions, races, and other backgrounds. Gelfand found that participants wearing fake facial warts were more likely to be helped if they were in a loose culture compared to a tight one. Loose groups are more likely to question whether norms passed down from generation to generation still align with current values.
Recent evidence suggests that socially anxious individuals who develop problematic or addictive drinking patterns may belong to a highly impulsive subtype of social anxiety disorder (55, 56). Future research on narcissism and addiction could integrate these findings to elucidate more fine-grained predictors of problematic or addictive substance use in narcissism. The large percentage of people with narcissistic personality disorder that also meet the criteria for a substance use disorder may lead many to question if drug addiction can cause narcissism.
Seeking help
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. In the same way that people with NPD manipulate situations to ensure they get the recognition they so desire, those with addictions will commonly do the same to ensure their supply is consistent and secure. Both individuals often struggle with symptoms of anxiety and depression if they do not receive what they are seeking out. It’s important to understand that narcissism is a personality trait, not a mental illness.
“To the extent that you can’t depend on people, you’ll depend on other sources to soothe yourself, like feeling special (narcissism) or watching pornography or getting drunk. But addiction makes us all more narcissistic—willing to lie, steal, cheat, and even exploit others to get our high.” A 2018 meta-analysis looked at the results of 62 studies and found that grandiose narcissism has a moderate association with increased social network use. It found that individuals with grandiose narcissism have more friends and followers, post more often, and spend more time on social media than other people.
What’s the outlook for people with NPD or AUD?
Everybody can benefit from speaking with a therapist, regardless of whether they fit the criteria for a mental health condition. In fact, some research suggests that covert narcissism and alcoholism alcohol misuse might be more common among people who have narcissistic tendencies. People with narcissism suffer many consequences of this personality disorder.
- Narcissists are commonly found to be addicted to using drugs, alcohol, sex, and even social media.
- Those that only address one disorder at a time are more likely to relapse after recovery due to unaddressed underlying causes.
- People with a narcissistic personality may also be more likely to engage in risky behaviors like drug use due to their sense of invincibility and lack of concern for the consequences of their actions.
- The best treatment option is to address both disorders simultaneously.
- Within the 86 drug addicts hospitalized, there was a 91% rate of individuals meeting the criteria for at least one personality disorder.
People don’t like them, react angrily to them, and thereby only exacerbate an interpersonal style deeply rooted in anxiety. Keep in mind that accurately diagnosing narcissism or any other personality trait requires assessment by a mental health professional. As a doctor who treats both I can tell you there are symptoms they share in common that can make it tricky to tell which is causing what, even for the trained eye like myself. Yours is just to have enough understanding of how the two can be related and impact each other. Be careful though, ‘narcissist’ has become an overused and misused label.
How can I divorce a narcissist who is also a drug addict?
For example, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that people with NPD were more likely to have a substance use disorder than people without the disorder. Consider visiting Psych Central’s directory to find a therapist who can help you and your partner navigate sexual narcissism. According to 2019 research, certain narcissistic traits may decline with age, which suggests that change is possible. But Hokemeyer notes that completely eliminating narcissism is an unrealistic goal.
If you engage with treatment, on the other hand, counseling and psychotherapy will typically reduce the intensity of symptoms. But most of us care or have cared about someone who’s experienced addiction or has narcissistic personality traits. This connection becomes particularly pronounced in close relationships, where the dynamics of dependence, self-absorption, and emotions are tightly linked. Narcissism and drug use are strongly linked, with many narcissistic individuals using drugs to enhance their sense of power and control over others. People with a narcissistic personality may also be more likely to engage in risky behaviors like drug use due to their sense of invincibility and lack of concern for the consequences of their actions. Many of the same elements of narcissism and addiction treatment programs are included in an inpatient dual diagnosis program.
