Berrybean

Grandiosity and the Addictive Personality

Addicts tend to share certain characteristics that are referred to as the addictive personality. It is suggested that it is these personality traits that make the individual more susceptible to falling into addiction. One of the characteristics that addicts tend to exhibit is grandiosity. Most of those who abuse alcohol or drugs will have low self-esteem a great deal of the time, but they can use grandiosity as a defense mechanism to hide their feelings of vulnerability and low self-worth. The addict is somehow able to manage to have low self-esteem yet still believe they are better than other people – this can be described as lying in the gutter but still looking down on everyone else.

Grandiosity as a Obstacle to Recovery from Addiction

Grandiosity can be a difficult obstacle that prevents the addict from finding their way into recovery. It makes it hard for the individual to accept help, and if they have feelings of invincibility then they might not even see the need to put an end to their addiction. If this grandiosity is due to a mental health problem, such as bipolar disorder, it may prevent the individual from ever gaining insight into their problems. The best option will be for such individuals to undergo dual diagnosis treatment where their mental health problem and addiction can be dealt with together.

Grandiosity and Terminal Uniqueness

Even after people have managed to escape their addiction they may still be faced with problems due to grandiosity. Terminal uniqueness is the belief that the individual has that they are a special case. This means that they may refuse to believe that because something worked for other people that it can work for them. Terminal uniqueness can prevent people from making use of the resources available to them in recovery. Their unwillingness to learn from other people means that they increase the risk of relapse; even if they remain sober they are unlikely to find that life is particularly satisfying – they are likely to become a dry drunk.

From alcoholrehab.com 'grandiosity-and-addiction'