When it comes to trying to understand addiction and how it works, there are a lot of different angles from which you might want to consider things. One of the main influences behind the likelihood of an addiction developing is the individual’s personality, and you might find yourself wondering whether certain personality types are more or less likely to develop addictions at some point in their life. What about narcissists? Do Narcissists Have Addictive Personalities?
Let’s take a look at this issue right now, and look into what you might be able to do if you want to find help for yourself or someone else in your life.
Narcissism: What Is It?
First of all, it might be helpful to look at what narcissism actually is. There is narcissism in terms of a trait that most of us have at least a little of, and then there is the word when used as a kind of personality type or even a disorder, which is when it affects negatively how someone lives their life. Someone you might call a narcissist will generally display particular sets of behavior which are easily observed and determined, such as:
- Boastfulness
- Pretense
- Jealousy
- Emotional Distance
- Devaluing Other People
- Manipulating
Someone who shows these regularly might be said to be a narcissist, and it is likely that they tend to cause negative experiences for those around them.
Do Narcissists Have Addictive Personalities?
So, is there a link between narcissism and drug use? In short, yes: it is quite common for narcissists to have issues around drugs. That is not to say they always do, nor that this is definite. But there is a link here which can be explored. Part of the reason for this connection is because the narcissist is always looking for more ways to feel victorious and have a sense of glory. Often, certain drugs can appear to give them that feeling in an easy way – so if they are not getting it in any other way, they might turn to drugs to get that feeling.
Dealing With Narcissists & Addictions
If you have someone in your life whom you would consider a narcissist, and you know that they have a problem with an addiction, it can be a problematic situation to find yourself in, and you might struggle to know what to do. That’s because on one hand, you want to help the person you love, but on the other you might be resistant to helping someone who is so dismissive of your needs and who might manipulate you all the time.
It’s up to you what you decide to do, of course, and nobody can tell you what you should do. But if you do decide you want to help the narcissist in your life with their drug addiction, one simple thing you can do is to gently suggest to them that they contact Findlay® Recovery Center and get help with their drug addiction. That could benefit not just them but those around them.
