Originally Posted by
goldengirl3 
How many of you feel that people just appear Narcissistic when they are active alcoholic and how many feel that the people already had those tendencies to begin with?
I was positive my AHW had Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Everything I read about it confirmed she had it. I interacted with her as best I could and constantly thought NPD was the over reaching concern. I didn't realize how much she drank, and how far the alcoholism had progressed.
She's been in recovery now since the summer. She has certainly had more than a few "slips". However I have to admit the NPD symptoms have almost completely disappeared. There is a long list of specific behaviors I simply don't see anymore. But, even with a few glasses of wine they will almost immediately creep out. I know use the NPD traits as the indicator she has been drinking. It never fails. 100% of the time she acts out any of the NPD symptoms, I discover very quickly she has been drinking.
So, I am going to say both of your positions are true in my house. I think she had those tendencies, but the alcohol exacerbates them. When she's not drinking, the NPD and other personality issues seem to remain locked away. It seems to take 7-10 days of sobriety to keep them at bay.