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4 • personality
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substance use
How common are personality disorders?
• Personality disorders are common. Approximately one in ten people have a
personality disorder.
• Personality disorders are even more common among people with alcohol, tobacco or
other drug problems. About half of all people with alcohol or other drug problems also
have a personality disorder.
• The most common personality disorders seen among people with alcohol or other drug
problems are antisocial and borderline personality disorders.
• If you have a personality disorder, you are not alone.
What causes personality disorders?
• Personality disorders develop in childhood and the patterns of thinking and behaving
become more ingrained as a person gets older.
• There is no single cause of personality disorders. However, there are several factors that
may contribute to the development of personality disorders, such as:
—Family history
—Chemical imbalances in the brain
—Life experiences (e.g., childhood abuse, neglect or separation from caregivers,
growing up with parents who were over-involved or under-involved)
Personality disorders and substance use
• Sometimes people use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs to cope with negative emotions.
This is often called ‘self-medication’.
• Other aspects of a person’s personality may also affect their alcohol, tobacco or other
drug use. For example, people who have antisocial traits may use substances because it
is a ‘deviant’ behaviour, and people who are ‘avoidant’ may use substances to help them
cope with anxiety in social situations.
• Regardless of the reasons why people use, some find that they develop alcohol, tobacco
or other drug problems because they need to drink, smoke or use greater amounts more
frequently to get the effect they want.
• Some people also find that alcohol, tobacco or other drug use makes some of their
problematic personality traits worse and can make difficult relationships even
more complicated.