I've never heard the term narcisssist used. I've heard Self-Centered, Selfish, Self-Seeking. From what I understand of this, it's a three fold disease: physical, mental, and spiritual. The physical part plays out in the compulsion to use drugs over and over. The mental is the obessive thoughts about that next high, and ways and means to get more. The spiritual aspect is the total self-centered part, not leaving room for anyone else or any Higher Power.
When in doubt, look up the word right? Narcissistic means - Excessive love or admiration of oneself. See synonyms at conceit narcissism (n.) A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem. narcissism (n.) Erotic pleasure derived from contemplation or admiration of one's own body or self, especially as a fixation on or a regression to an infantile stage of development
I'd say that second one would apply...
The thing to remember for me is I'm not those things. My disease feeds on my defects of character, and those selfish things are defects. I pray for the removal of my shortcomings, meanwhile I can help my HP's job along by doing the footwork of helping others, being empthetic, listening to others, remaining open-minded, and thinking of someone else's feeling or needs before my own.
Just my thoughts on it.
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"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." ~Oscar Wilde~
Hey it could be starting a new thread every day and never going back to it I kid and then again maybe I don't . On topic, I believe that this is simply an extension of trying to create self esteem/self worth outside of ourselves instead of within.
Many readings indicate that addicts are narcisits and self absorbed...just looking for opinions on this...
the world revolves around me. i need to pay bills, i need to make sure i can score first. my kids need shoes. get the cheap ones so i can score. wife wants to go out. i want to get high . visiting parents this weekend, i hope i can get high first. lawn needs mowing , do i have enough to get high . 3 days till payday , how can i make my stash last. i cant sleep, i'm tired, i cant eat ,I'm hungry. i don't want to, i i i i i i i .
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" If you have built castles in the air , your work need not be lost ; that is where they should be . Now put the foundations under them . "
DeanC- I am not sure I know what you mean by starting new threads. I go back and read what everyone posts. I just think of different topics that I am interested to hear your take on. Hope that is appropriate.
I read Trapped in the Mirror by Golomb....I try really hard not to worry about my image. I used to stop myself from crying in public. The issue over what counts as clean time seemed to bring up an issue of who looks better, and would someone lie to sound smarter, etc. I would think that a true, hard core narcissist would never step foot in recovery for fear of looking like a failure by this society's standards (USA).
After my sister overdosed on heroin, my dad wanted to lie to all extended family and even his BEST FRIEND and say she died from hitting a tree in her truck (I'm sure she died first of the overdose before she hit the tree; it was not that bad of a wreck). That, friends and neighbors, is a hard core narcissist in my book. I doubt my dad would EVER enter these rooms.
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I think people are full of guile.....I enjoy that.
Narcissus was a Greek god renowned for his beauty, but it eventually killed him. He died by pining away for his own reflection in a pool until he starved. Narcissists are essentially people who are so shallow that they value nothing so much as their own good looks. This is my understanding, anyway.
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"With a sweet tongue of kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair." ~Persian Proverb