Why Gaslighting and Alcoholism Go Hand in Hand
When alcohol begins to take over a person’s life, they may go to great lengths to continue their drinking. They realize that others might notice and try to stop their alcohol abuse, so they begin a plan of methodical manipulation to maintain their drinking.
In the beginning, the gaslighter may subtly hide their drinking by pouring beverages into other containers, mixing with other drinks or disposing of the empty bottles. They will make plenty of excuses for their actions, and others may become concerned over time. The addicted person will say that they are overreacting, misperceiving the situation and forgetting important details. A gaslighting victim will feel confused and doubt themselves, soon accepting the addicted person’s reality as being true.
People with alcohol use disorders may not be interested in hurting others. Instead, they are more interested in their ability to continue drinking without added resistance coming from friends, family and co-workers.
Gaslighting may be linked to additional mental health and addiction issues, including personality disorders and other substance use disorders.
Signs of Alcohol Abuse
Since people who engage in gaslighting work hard to keep their addictions secret, they will skillfully conceal their substance use. To discover whether someone is struggling with an alcohol addiction, it’s important to look for certain signs. These include:
- Spending more time getting, drinking and recovering from alcohol
- Making promises to quit drinking without success
- Having strong cravings to drink when going without alcohol
- Feeling uncomfortable or ill when they are not drinking
- Needing to drink more or more often to create the wanted effect
- Experiencing legal, social, occupational, mental health or physical health repercussions of their drinking
Just one or two of the above symptoms may be enough to qualify for an alcohol use disorder.
Signs of Gaslighting
The signs of gaslighting are not always obvious, especially to the victim. Common signs of gaslighting include:
- Lying
- Being deceitful
- Acting kind, interested and concerned
- Being charming and sexually seductive
- Mood swings with periods of anger and rage
- Intimidation and threats
- Name-calling with insults like stupid, crazy, forgetful, ugly, fat and others
- Arguing about minor details
Related Topic: Am I an Alcoholic