When one or both parents struggle with addiction, the home environment is predictably unpredictable, and argument, inconsistency, unreliability, and chaos tend to run rampant. Aas H, Leigh B, Anderssen N, Jakobsen R. Two-year longitudinal study of alcohol expectancies and drinking among Norwegian adolescents. Hill E. The role of narcissism in health-risk and health-protective behaviors. Grabarek J, Bourke M, Van Hasselt V. Empirically-derived narcissism and alcoholism MCMI-III personality profiles of incarcerated female substance abusers. The results speak to the effects that different types of narcissism have on alcohol use, alcohol problems and attitudes towards alcohol problems among young adults. Everyone has a reason for the way they act, and an alcoholic narcissist might tell you a perfectly good reason for why they should drink, whether or not those reasons are justifiable.

Both AUD and NPD should be diagnosed by a healthcare professional. In the United States, the DSM-5-TR is used to diagnose both conditions. People can misuse alcohol without having AUD or being addicted to alcohol.

Relapse and Recovery

Future research could test some of these alternative explanations. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 22.6% of people with a personality disorder also have a substance use disorder , which can include alcohol use. Alcohol misuse refers to situations where you drink excessively or when you drink alcohol when it’s harmful – for example, when you’re pregnant or when you have a medical condition that makes alcohol consumption dangerous. Although it may be impossible to prevent NPD, people can take steps to reduce the risk of developing additional disorders through the understanding that it is common for substance misuse disorders to co-occur. Narcissism and alcoholism are different conditions, but they can occur simultaneously and may share some overlapping symptoms.

But narcissists lack the empathy required to value or show interest in others and have difficulty making meaningful connections. This sense of entitlement can cause many to refuse to apologize or make empty apologies for their drinking, break promises not to drink or not to drink too much, and invent excuses or blame others to avoid responsibility. When someone develops an AUD, they will naturally and narcissistically come to believe that having a drink is their right—I earned it, I need it, I deserve it, and I will do whatever I have to to get it.

What Is the "Narcissist Alcoholic?"

If you are being physically, emotionally, or sexually abused, know that there is help available. Take a moment in a safe location like a public washroom to create a plan for safety at the Domestic Violence Hotline so you’re prepared if or when you decide to leave. Michelle Pugle is an expert health writer with nearly a decade of experience contributing accurate and accessible health information to authority publications.

National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Narcissists are famously impulsive, often lacking the discipline to achieve their own goals. Many also self-sabotage, choosing to intentionally fail rather than collaborate with others and struggle, change, learn, or grow. In contrast, self-reflection is a process of trying to see and understand yourself, usually with positive effects for those around you. The exact symptoms of withdrawal can vary from nausea to seizures.