Alcoholic Personality Traits

Low Self-esteem: The individual doesn't feel as if they are of value. They are somehow
'less' than other people. An inferiority complex.

Anxiety/Fear: The individual suffers from worry. This could be fears of social situations,
fear of failure, fear of sex etc. A general feeling of fear is very common among alcoholicsthey are not anxious about anything in particular. A sense of anxiety. Anxiety and alcohol
are a dangerous mix.

Perfectionism: The individual has to be and do the best at everything he/she does. This,
obviously, is not possible and so he/she feels like a failure. A sense of failure is a
common characteristic of alcoholics.

Feelings of Guilt: The individual feels guilty all the time. It is as if everything they do,
say or think is motivated by guilt.

Shame: The individual believes there is something wrong with them. They are somehow
stained. They are different from other people, in a negative sense.

Impulsive: Much like a child, the individual does things without thinking. If they want
something, they want it now. Blow the consequences.

Self-pity: What I like to call the 'poor me' syndrome. The individual feels as if nobody
understands them, only they are suffering.

Under-achievement: The alcoholic will generally not do as well as their intellect/skills
would allow.

Blaming: The individual will tend to blame people for their problems, mistakes etc.
Nothing is their fault- me vs. the world.

A Sense of Injustice: The individual thinks every body is against him and nothings fair.
Much like a child, "wah wah wah life's not fair".

Low-tolerance: The individual finds it difficult to cope with negative feelings/situations
for any period of time.

Easily Frustrated: The individual gets frustrated very quickly usually erupting into anger
if something doesn't happen to go the way he/she wants or anticipated.

Unable to Receive Love: Because the individual doesn't love himself/herself then they
cannot accept love and affection from others. "Why would anyone want to love someone
as worthless as me?"

Dependence: The individual usually depends on other people to look after them.
Because they do not believe in themselves as valuable they rely on others people's
actions/words to make them feel better about themselves. We call this codependency.