Stimulants and HPD / Somatic NPD

Although people of different genders and ages get hooked on coffee, cigarettes and illegal drugs for different reasons, it is frequently said that girls and young women concerned about their weight often use and get addicted to stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, cocaine or methamphetamine.
At least one website claims (for some unexplained reason) that NPD folks are more likely to abuse stimulants.

So, does anyone have any anecdotal evidence that people (especially women) with HPD or Somatic NPD are more likely to become addicted to coffee, cigarettes, coke, or meth?

Some further info re Cluster B (NPD) and substance abuse. Couldn’t find anything similar re HPD and substance abuse, but given that NPD and HPD are like brother and sister Dx's under the latest DSM…note that weight loss and control is not mentioned as a reason for NPD's to use stimulants (or alcohol /hallucinogens).

Quoting from [http://web.archive.org/web/20060827213435/www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/narc.htm]

"...Cluster B: Incidence of Co-Occurring Substance Abuse Disorders
Cluster B has the highest incidence of co-occurring substance abuse disorders of the three DSM-IV personality disorder clusters (Nace, O'Connell, ed., 1990, p. 184).
Freud said that drugs can give pleasure and a greatly desired degree of independence from the external world; drugs allow withdrawal from the pressures of reality (Khantzian, Halliday, & McAuliffe, 1990, opening page). Individuals with NPD will be attracted to drugs that support their inflated self-image and permit them to evade a reality they dislike. Independence from the external world (and its tenacious reality-based pressures) allow these individuals to be remain unaware of their failures, rejections, limitations, and inability to self-regulate. Drugs become an alternative to living life on its own terms.
Khantzian, et. al. (1990, p. 3) view the treatment of any character disorder as the road to recovery from addiction. However, their approach also demands continued attention to and concern about maintaining abstinence and avoiding relapse. Addiction becomes a disorder in its own right and must be addressed directly. Nevertheless, the treatment of personality disorders can lead to profound change in the personality disordered individual's experience of self and the world, which, in turn, can positively affect recovery from addiction.
Individuals with NPD are vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse and addiction:
• for the feelings of dominance and well-being they provide (Benjamin, 1993, p. 160);
• for the experience of wholeness and vitality ( Rodin & Izenberg, Rosenbluth & Yalom, eds., 1997, p. 108);
• as a mistaken and erroneous way to achieve significance and avoid a painful clash with reality (Sperry & Carlson, 1993, pp. 420-421);
• as part of the overall narcissistic pattern of self-involvement and self-indulgence (Beck, 1990, p. 240);
• because of their need for a high level of stimulation (Richards, 1993, p. 240);
• to provide immediate relief from personal discomfort and a sense of self-importance and power (Beck, 1990, p. 240);
• to sooth unacknowledged tensions created by hypersensitivity to evaluation (Beck, 1990, p. 240).
The belief that they are unique and special serves to insulate these individuals from the recognition that they have developed a reliance on drugs. It also allows them to believe that they can escape the negative effects of addiction; they can easily quit using chemicals (Beck, 1990, p. 240). They maintain the grandiose belief, sometimes in extraordinary circumstances, that they are in charge of their addiction (Richards, 1992, p. 239). The NPD grandiosity, crucial in maintaining addiction, is the assumption of an exalted but impossible privileged status. The grandiose feelings are expressed as being exempt from both the consequences of behavior and the laws of nature (Salzman, Mule, ed., 1981, p. 344).

Drugs of Choice for the Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Individuals with NPD are vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse or addiction because there are drugs which support an inflated sense of self and drugs that interrupt or moderate feelings of depression and low self-esteem. Most of these individuals will use drugs that enhance their feelings of vigor, power, or euphoria. Cocaine is very effective for this goal. Individuals with NPD, to ward off unwanted intrusions of unpleasant reality, use denial, flight, and overcompensation supported by increased activity, overproductivity, and grandiosity. Use of these defenses can result in increased isolation. These individuals will use alcohol and other sedatives to facilitate this isolation. There are some individuals with NPD who prefer the autistic stimulation of hallucinogens (Richards, 1993, p. 253).
Another factor in looking at the NPD drug of choice is the consummate skill required to manage the drug situation (including dealing) and the centrality to others that drug dealing fosters. It is possible that these activities may be more rewarding to individuals with NPD than the drug use itself (Richards, 1993, p. 253)…”

What drugs of choice are involved in HPD, and for what reasons?

As a BPD/HPD recovering cocaine addict myself, all I can do here is relate my own experiences and perhaps speculate a bit on what would draw an HPD to do this particular drug. Bear in mind that addiction itself takes on different stages and degrees, and as such the attraction to the drug can be very different through the stages of the addiction and a person’s general life style as well.
Because I was a stripper living in that life style for many years, the degree of my drug habit, the easy access to the drug and the constant flow of men and money, these things could easily color my own experience and situation as well; but I’ll do my best to relate my own opinion and hopefully you can take something useful from it.

Beginning Usage of Cocaine (before Addiction sets in):
- One of the major components of my own cocaine habit was the social aspect of it. Doing it with friends, hanging out at clubs and parties makes it a very socially interactive activity and allows you meet new people (users and dealers) so the broadening of the social circle could be a factor for HPD’s to do cocaine. The developing of community, friendships and other manipulative resources for drug use, connections, and funding.
- The euphoric feeling makes you feel beautiful, invincible and free- it’s like you’re on top of the world, everybody’s best friend, talking, laughing, and dancing all night long. The sheer chemical components of cocaine give the same feeling of false happiness and acceptance as does the HPD ‘fan clubs’ and attention grabbing behaviours.
- Added energy and weight loss produces a feeling of accomplishment (I suppose) and the physical benefits of weight loss/maintenance would be a factor for HPD’s as well here.

Development of Addiction:
- As drugs become more and more a necessity to keep weight down, to regain that euphoric high and remain popular in social drug interactions, more money is needed to fuel the habit and mass manipulation of outside sources (usually men) is needed to pay for the drugs. The manipulation and happiness gained by success of the manipulation/being able to feed the habit would be a validation for an HPD in terms of their desirability and beauty- ‘fan club’ like attention need and adding to our lack of self worth by means of outside validation by receiving money or the drugs themselves.
- Manipulating both sponsors (those who you can get money from to feed the habit [otherwise known as fish]) and dealers alike to spot you drugs (let you have your drugs before even pay for them) you can rack up and clear your debts relatively easily- again making you feel you’re beautiful enough and valued enough that these people are willing to ‘take care’ of you and your habit.
- As your addiction begins to exceeded your own financial means (in the 100’s of dollars a day- every day) you strike up new bonds and begin getting in thicker with other users who will give you drugs and supply your habit needs just to be around you and have you on their arm. Again, attention and fulfilling of self worth for an HPD.

Hardcore Addiction:
- Once hardcore addiction has set in most of your previous ‘good’ and familial relationships have gone sour and you’ve lost all support, love, trust and respect from those you love in life. At this point cocaine becomes a requirement of life, an escape from the pain of reality, and your one true constant. You escape the pain of emotional abandonment by the chemical fogging of reality (putting up barriers, walls and hiding internally) and emotionally remove yourself from the painful situation- very HPD behaviour!
- Constantly seeking a happiness that does not exist, you compound your problems by doing more drugs than you could ever afford. Manipulative, deceitful, self harming and reckless behaviour takes the stage as you lie, cheat, steal and sell yourself to feed your addiction. Self destructive/self defeating HPD behaviour at its worst, attaining happiness once the addiction is fed (false happiness) and hating yourself when sober for all the things you’ve done- black and white, internal self loathing looking for a saviour- very HPD.
- Realizing you’ve destroyed all your social relationships and sources, the saviour from yourself and your pain becomes the drug itself. Your fear of abandonment (and at this point you’ve usually been abandoned by many if not all in your life) is medicated and filled with cocaine, the one constant escape you’ve come to depend on and trust.
- Though others no longer accept or respect you cocaine always will and it will never turn its back on you as long you have enough money to get it, and getting it is all too easy as you’ve lost all your original morals and previously held values at this point.



So yeah, in looking at this I think it’s fair to say that cocaine would fill much more than a need for weight loss in the HPD mind and emotional needs. If used beyond recreation, to the point of hardcore addiction, it replaces all your relationships, emotional insecurities and weaknesses with a chemical substitute and escape from any traumas/fears/pain you have inside.

The many means in which you get money to feed the habit itself are greatly those we as HPD do in a ‘natural setting’ as well, so compacting that by receiving monetary gain or your DOC directly, would just add to the accomplishment of ‘attention seeking’ and feed your ego/self worth all the more, I would think.

This is of course not anything ‘proven’ or researched mind you- just my own speculation based on my experiences with cocaine addiction and the stages of addiction, how it plays out, etc...

Your thoughts?

Thanks Alice for your great insight and info. Although not reasonable to say that all HPD's or NPD's necessarily will use stimulants, your account seems to confirm that certain PD's involving bodily images and certain drugs that help maintain that bodily image fit like hand and glove...hence "dual diagnosis"...PD and specific drug abuse/addiction.

Besides drug use among professional strippers, exotic dancers, and cocktail waitresses, everyone knows that there is a similar phenomenon going on in sports and other athletic activities - I once had a martial arts instructor whom I'm pretty sure was addicted to meth and who was distributing it. The drug actually heightened her martial arts skills for a while, but as you imply there is an eventual heavy price to pay.

Oh God Yeah!

I know exactly what you mean! While I'd never release any names (confidence) I've done rails with a quite few pro football players, people in politics, entertainment industry (singers, actors, band memebers, agents, etc...) and the regular club owners, and everday joe type. I've met a few intersting personalities in my day actually though I'd never say who!

Cocaine in itself is something of a drug for 'upper class' so to speak. Many people in 'high places' endulge in it from time to time.

I never got into meth, crack, heroin and stuff of that nature- coke was my lady, I loved her dearly, and paid that dear price she requires of all her constant lovers.

I started stripping at 16, and I did drugs before that. Started with weed, hash and all the basics, but I found acid was my favorite of all, that and speed. The energy rush of the speed made it possible to work out constantly. I oncespent 4 hours on the phone while doing the stair master, stayed up all night doing various physical activities, and felt the burn pretty raw through my body the following day.
Acid was awesome because it took me to a mental alternative place, where my thoughts would come to life, be vivid enough my mind that it would impare/effect my vision and it was a wonderful delusional place to be- I loved it!!!

I tried exstacy a few times but never really got into it. The body rush that accompanied it was too much for me. I didn't like it. I find where drug use is concerned I like things that me feel good, energetic and empowered inside and out. I don't like drugs that overtake me, or make me feel mellow. I want to be happy, to feel happy and laugh, love life and everyone in it when I get high too.

So yes, while coke was obviously introduced to me in the clubs and working there made it readily available, I was always attracted to drugs that held that high spirited feeling in their chemical effect, and stood clear of the 'downer type' of high.

Also, another thing you may be able to add to your list of drugs (considering you've listed caffine and nicotene in there) could be energy drinks- right?
I know I need to have one or two a day to maintain consiousness and energy as my own physical energy wanes under mental and acedemic stresses currently.

I wonder how many of our non drug users consume energy drinks on a regular or need for speed basis?
Guys/girls- red bull???

Alice

One GF I had whom I thought was HPD but whom I now consider more NPD (Cerebral alternating with Somatic) was a chipper...she occaisionally did crystal meth, trying to hide it from me but I found out. We were both in school and she would stay up for hours doing last-minute projects; looking back on it she was evidently lit.

As you imply there's is, or was, a class division between coke users and meth users...meth was once considered the "poor man's cocaine," although within the last ten years with the increasing purity and potency, and with the ease of Mexican manufacture, smggling, and distribution, out here in the wild west meth has overtaken coke as the stimulant of choice, and now relatively wealthy people and their kids are getting carried off by it. I'm talking actors/actresses musicians and middle to upper middle class kids.

Having said, alcohol still is the most ubiquitous drug of abuse and of course do to it's favorable legal status the most accepted in professional and upper class circles. HPD's / NPD's who are working professionals employ it in clubs to get through with the periodic bouts of depression, or to mellow out after a coke or meth binge?

See, meth to me is something dirty, and I never even wanted to try it because of the way it's manufactured and I just found the entire thing to be very 'red neck' Had I began stripping at a later point in time (not my life, but in time as a passing thing- say 2005- 2008) I probably would have done meth, but by the time it hit the streets up here- I already swore myself to cocaine and rufused to touch drugs of any other kind.

Don't forget, I'm 32 and I quit stripping as a full time source of income in 2000, (just carrying on as part time/free lancer when I need money after that point) so I missed meth's overtaking the drug world. It had only just begun to hit the market as I was tapering out of the industry, only poping in and out from time to time.

So that's probably a major reason why I didn't get into it. I got in and out of the scene too quickly to become desperate enough to try it.

Even still, as a huge coke consumer, I didn't take the next step (as many cociane addicts do) into free basing and smoking crack. I had friends who I saw take that road and I saw what they became, how dirty it was and I wasn't gonna be searching threw shagg carpet like a rock star lighting up bits of broken drywall thinking I scored
As much as I was 'limitless' I had standards that I wouldn't cross. I had no problme being a filthy little coke slut, but I'd be damned if I was gonna be a crack whore- if that makes any sense???

Things like that, that presented a dirty or poor appearance/social decline I wasn't interested in at all. In fact there were times I would go to the club dying to get high and all people had was 'crystal' and I refused. I'd rather suffer through with drawl than lower myself to places and substances I don't approve of.

It's kinda wierd when you think about it- I'll go so far off the beaten path in so many ways, but once I say I will not go 'there' I can't be tempted...

In referance to your theory on drinking after a coke binge, all I can say (for myself) is that I would usually drink as a precurssor to coke. 3-5 glasses of wine and then I'm ready to powder my nose. If I did the drugs BEFORE I started drinking- it was hell. Because I was so deeply into coke that I needed massive amounts of it to get high usually, I'd forget I hadn't yet drank any alcohol and do a big rail- my heart would go crazy, I'd sweat, get fidgetty and awkward; then I'd have to consume alcohol to get my heart rate down and even out. But no matter how much I drank, I couldn't catch up with the effect of the drugs, because I would keep doing more coke and it was insane- once I start I can't stop until the source (my drugs, my money, others people drugs, others money) runs out.

After a coke binge I'd just fall asleep. I wouldgo on 3 day benders and exahust myself into a deep hard sleep that could a day or 2. By 3 day bender I literally mean 3 days of non stop cocaine, no food, no sleep and you don't even realize that much time has passed- it was nuts!

But no, I didn't have to drink to come down off a bender, or recuperate, etc... So I don't understand that mentality of it.

I'm not even a real alcoholic in the sense that I have the urge or desire to drink- you know that?
I don't crave or want to drink, enjoy drinking or anything like that.
The only thing that makes me qualify for alcoholism (by definition of AA and the 'Big Book') is the desire to stop drinking, and the reason I desire to stop drinking is because it triggers my need for cocaine to a point where I can't say NO. It's the precurser/the entrance way, and the slow 'low' that stimmulates my need for the high. It takes me to a dangerous place...

So yeah, alcohol and it's consumption/effects on people isn't really something I understand.
Sorry- I can't help on that part of your theory Orion, because I just don't indentify with that aspectof it...

My HPD is addicted to alcohol, marijuana, sex, and attention. All drugs. She is too chemically imbalanced and hyper/bubbly for coffee, interestingly enough.

I don't have anecdotal evidence but neurochemical info.

Cluster B PDs generally respond well to stimulant medications that improve ADHD problems. These are the amphetamine-related biochemicals. Ritalin and cocaine are pharmacologically very similar. The mechanisms for their increasing dopamine in the brain, especially PFC, are similar to those "naturally" induced by sex, power, drama, risk-taking, confrontation, caffeine, and short draws of tobacco smoke for nicotine. Alcohol, though a depressant, initially can have a similar euphoric high focusing thoughts. Look up info on the brain's "reward system" for details.