Atheism, alcoholism and personality disorders

Alcoholism was a serious social problem in the former atheistic Soviet Union. Between 1940 and 1980, this atheist state had the largest increase of the amount of alcohol usage in the developed world.

See also: Atheism and alcoholism

At least 100 studies suggest religion has a positive effect on preventing alcohol-related problems, researchers Christopher Ellison, Jennifer Barrett and Benjamin Moulton noted in an article in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion on “Gender, Marital Status, and Alcohol Behavior: The Neglected Role of Religion.” See: Atheism and alcoholism

Atheism, alcoholism and personality disorders

The abstract for the journal article Comorbidity of Personality Disorders with Alcohol Abuse published in the journal In Vivo indicates:

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There is high comorbidity of alcohol dependence with mood, anxiety, substance abuse and personality disorders. Personality disorders, in particular, are considered to be an important contributing and/or predisposing factor in the pathogenesis, clinical course and treatment outcome of alcohol dependence. According to clinical and epidemiological studies, the prevalence of personality disorders in alcoholism ranges from as low as 22-40% to as high as 58-78%. The literature has focused primarily on antisocial and borderline personality disorders; however, almost the whole spectrum of personality disorders can be encountered in alcohol dependence, such as the dependent, avoidant, paranoid and others. A number of factors, such as sampling methods, diagnostic criteria used or assessment procedures applied, may explain this wide variation. The quest of a distinct ‘alcoholic personality’ dates from the first half of the 20th century but failed to reveal consistent and strong substantiation. However, renewed efforts provided evidence for the importance of impulsivity/ disinhibition and neuroticism/negative affectivity in the development of alcohol dependence; the role of other personality traits such as extraversion/sociability is still unclear. These findings led to a number of typologies, some of the most popular and influential being those of Cloninger, Babor, and Lesch.

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Atheism, alcoholism, impulsivity/foolishness, anti-social behavior and immorality

See also: Atheism and morality and Irreligion, psychopathy, crime, violence and antisocial behavior and Atheism and its anti-civilizational effects and Religion and crime reduction

As an atheist, the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer engaged in cannibalism.

United Press International stated that "Dahmer suffered from alcoholism and sexual deviance and that his homosexuality was just a coincidence."

See also: Atheism and cannibalism

The journal article Impulsivity: A Predisposition Toward Risky Behaviors published in the International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction states: "Impulsivity has been investigated from various perspectives and several definitions have been proposed. From a charachterological perspective, Eysenck holds that impulsivity is characterized by unplanned risky behaviors, and making up one’s mind quickly. Dickman proposed that dysfunctional impulsivity is characterized by taking action with less thought in comparison to most individuals with the same level of skill and knowledge."

The article Personality Disorders and Alcohol indicates:

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There is a strong association between antisocial personality disorder and alcoholism. Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of regard for laws and authority. People who have antisocial personality disorder engage in dangerous behaviors, lack guilt and display low impulse control. These qualities make a person prone to addictive behaviors, with alcoholism being the one most common. Alcohol addiction and antisocial personality disorder often prove to be a dangerous combination, as people with both of these conditions often display aggressive and destructive behaviors, including violence, sexual assault, child abuse and homicidal behaviors. Antisocial symptoms such as impulsivity, deceit and poor decision making also tend to worsen with alcohol use. Studies show that an individual diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder is 21 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to be young when they start alcohol use, use alcohol for extended amounts of time and form addiction-related problems quickly.

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The journal article Alcohol abuse, personality disorders, and aggression: The quest for a common underlying mechanism published in the journal Aggression and Violent Behavior states:

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Alcohol abuse and personality disorders are often comorbid, and their co-occurrence is associated with worse prognostic expectations, poor therapeutic outcomes, as well as deleterious behavioral and interpersonal consequences. The current review aims at untangling the association among alcohol abuse, personality disorders, and aggression. After reviewing the relevant literature on alcohol abuse, personality disorders, and related aggression, we propose that their association could be better understood by acknowledging common underlying mechanisms. Accordingly, we outline different potential avenues that can explain their association. In particular, we focus on impulsivity and emotion dysregulation as possible triggers of alcohol abuse and personality disorders, ultimately leading to self-harm and interpersonal violence. Also, the critical role of contextual influences in exacerbating both subjective and interpersonal dysfunctions is considered. Finally, we argue that emotion dysregulation and impulsivity could serve as useful intervention targets to treat clients with personality disorders and alcohol abuse who engage in aggressive behavior, by tackling these mechanisms underlying their complex pathology. Relevant implications for both clinical and research purposes are also highlighted.

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The perverse and cruel atheist Marquis de Sade in prison, 18th century line engraving.

See also: Atheism and sadism

The journal article Comorbidity of Personality Disorders with Alcohol Abuse published in the journal In Vivo indicates:

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Recent neurobiology findings suggest that behavioural disinhibition may be related to abnormalities in serotonergic function, whereas neuroticism-negative affectivity is related to GABA-glutamatergic system deficiencies (5, 39-40). Based on the close relationship between these two personality traits and alcohol abuse, researchers argue that there are at least two different pathways to alcohol problems: a negative effect pathway wherein alcohol is used to relieve psychological distress, and a deviance proneness pathway wherein compliance with the cultural standards related to alcohol use is compromised by possession of a difficult character.

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The journal article Personality disorder, emotional intelligence, and locus of control of patients with alcohol dependence published in the journal Indian Journal of Psychiatry states:

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Aim: To assess personality disorder (PD), emotional intelligence (EI), and locus of control of alcohol dependent (AD) patients and its comparison with normal controls... Results: AD patients have more comorbid pathological personality traits and disorders in comparison to their normal counterparts. Depressive, narcissistic, and paranoid PDs were prominent among AD group; followed by schizotypal, antisocial, negativistic, dependent, schizoid, sadistic, masochistic, and borderline PD. In comparison to normal participants, AD patients were significantly deficient in almost all the areas of EI and their locus of control was externally oriented. Conclusion: Patients with AD have significantly higher PDs, low EI, and an external orientation on the locus of control. Identification and management of these comorbid conditions are likely to improve the management and outcome of AD.

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The psalmist David wrote: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" - Psalms 14:1 (ESV) (See: Atheism and foolishness). Not possessing a religious basis for morality, which can provide a basis for objective morality, atheism is fundamentally incapable of providing a coherent system of morality. See: Atheism and morality

The Barna Group found that atheists and agnostics in America were more likely, than theists in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; abortion; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in homosexuality/bisexuality. The homosexual population has significantly higher incidences of a number of diseases (See: Homosexuality and health).

Richard Deem wrote:

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A random sample of 1003 adults were surveyed in May, 2008 by The Barna Group for their participation in a number of negative behaviors within the previous week. The results showed that there were vast differences in the behaviors of evangelicals compared to agnostics/atheists. These results show that atheists/agnostics participate in morally questionable behaviors to a much greater degree than evangelical Christians - an average of nearly five times the frequency!

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A pie chart delineating the percentage of irreligious in prison (shown in light blue) in the United Kingdom; Click the graphic above to enlarge the pie chart and text. Data courtesy of The National Archives (UK).

See also: Religion and crime reduction and Irreligious prison population

Many cultures have laws which discourage anti-social behavior related to excessive alcohol used such as drunk driver laws and public disorderliness.

The abstract for the journal article Religion and Crime: A Systematic Review and Assessment of Next Steps published in Sociology of Religion in 2017 states concerning religion and crime reduction:

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Over the last twenty years researchers have given a lot of attention to the relationship between religion and crime, finding that religion tends to have a deterring influence on crime-related attitudes and behaviors. While a variety of studies have been published in this area, little work has been done to assess the state of research on religion and crime. Because so much research has consistently found a relationship, work on religion may be able to offer fresh insight into criminological theory and substantive research more generally.

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In 2011, the social scientist Dr. Byron R. Johnson wrote in the Houston Chronicle:

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[There is] ...consistent and mounting evidence suggesting increasing religious commitment or involvement helps individuals avoid crime and delinquency... ...I recently completed the most exhaustive systematic review conducted to date of the relevant research literature on religion and crime. This review located 273 studies on religion and crime that were published between 1944 and 2010. Ninety percent of the studies (247 of 273) find increasing religiosity to be associated with decreases in various measures of crime and delinquency. Only two out of 273 studies report religion was associated with a harmful outcome

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According to the University of Manchester:

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People who regularly visit a place of worship are less likely to be involved in low level crime and delinquency, according to new research by a University of Manchester researcher... “In line with existing American research, my results suggest that it is the act of mixing with fellow believers that is important, regardless of whether this is via formal worship, involvement in faith-based social activities or simply through spending time with family and friends who share your faith. “The important thing is exposure to people who encourage pro-social behaviours, and can provide sanctions for their breach” The study, which is the first time this type of analysis has been carried out in the UK, is to be published later this year. It was funded by the Bill Hill Charitable Trust. The survey data comprised responses from 1,214 18 to 34-year-olds and was collected last July.

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Atheism, alcoholism, emotional problems/negative thoughts, mental illness

Atheists are more prone to various emotional problems and having negative thoughts (see: Atheism and negative emotions/thoughts and Atheism and emotional problems).

The abstract for the journal article Health and Well-Being Among the Non-religious: Atheists, Agnostics, and No Preference Compared with Religious Group Members published in the Journal of Religion and Health indicates: "On dimensions related to psychological well-being, atheists and agnostics tended to have worse outcomes than either those with religious affiliation or those with no religious preference."

Global News reported:

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Children who are raised with religious or spiritual beliefs tend to have better mental health into their adulthood, a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found. According to the study’s findings, people who attended weekly religious services or prayed or meditated daily in their childhood reported greater life satisfaction in their 20s. People who grew up in a religious household also reported fewer symptoms of depression and lower rates of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Atheism, anxiety and negative affectivity

See also: Atheism and anxiety and Atheism and mental toughness and Atheism, panic attacks, stress, negative emotions, alcoholism and smoking

Five Factor Model of personality

As far as atheism and anxiety, according to the leading science news website Phys.org:

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Believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress, according to new University of Toronto research that shows distinct brain differences between believers and non-believers. In two studies led by Assistant Psychology Professor Michael Inzlicht, participants performed a Stroop task - a well-known test of cognitive control - while hooked up to electrodes that measured their brain activity. Compared to non-believers, the religious participants showed significantly less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a portion of the brain that helps modify behavior by signaling when attention and control are needed, usually as a result of some anxiety-producing event like making a mistake. The stronger their religious zeal and the more they believed in God, the less their ACC fired in response to their own errors, and the fewer errors they made... Their findings show religious belief has a calming effect on its devotees, which makes them less likely to feel anxious about making errors or facing the unknown.

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The Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine says about the personality trait of negative affectivity:

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Negative affectivity (NA) is a broad personality trait that refers to the stable tendency to experience negative emotions (Watson & Clark, 1984). Individuals who are high in NA are more likely to report negative affective mood states across time and regardless of the situation. They also report more somatic symptoms and have an attention bias toward adverse stimuli or potentially threatening situations (Watson & Pennebaker, 1989). NA is closely related to neuroticism (Costa & McCrae, 1987) as one of the broad trait domains in the Five Factor Model of personality. Because NA is centrally defined by the tendency to experience negative affect (Watson & Pennebaker, 1989), the label NA is used here to designate dysphoric individual differences that are relatively stable over time.

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Atheism, alcoholism, low interpersonal skills and/or interpersonal problems

Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness marked by black-and-white thinking and an instability in mood, self-image, behavior, and interpersonal relationships.

According to an international study done by William Bainbridge, atheism is frequent among people whose interpersonal social obligations are weak and is also linked to lower fertility rates in advanced industrial nations (See also: Atheism and fertility rates). See also: Atheism and social/interpersonal intelligence and Atheism and its anti-civilizational effects

The journal article Personality Disorder Symptoms, Drinking Motives, and Alcohol Use and Consequences published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology states:

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Research shows high comorbidity between personality disorders (PDs) and alcohol use disorders (AUDs)... For example, across studies of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in which rates of alcohol abuse or dependence were reported, approximately 48.8% of individuals with BPD also met criteria for an AUD, and across studies of individuals with AUDs, 14.3% of these participants also met criteria for BPD. According to dimensional perspectives of PDs, the underlying personality traits of impulsivity and affective instability/negative affectivity are two such factors that may account for high rates of AUDs among specific PDs (Trull et al., 2000, Trull, Waudby, & Sher, 2004). Dimensional perspectives assert that PDs represent maladaptive and extreme variations of normal personality traits (see Trull & Durrett, 2005, for a review). Impulsivity and negative affectivity are two such traits that are represented in the normal population, as evidenced by their representation in standard conceptualizations of personality such as the five-factor model and by the finding that extreme levels of these traits are characteristic of Cluster B PDs (e.g., BPD, antisocial personality disorder), which are the PDs most likely to co-occur with AUDs (Trull et al., 2000, 2004). Furthermore, high scores on measures of these traits are associated with alcohol use problems (Sher et al., 1999). For example, impulsivity in childhood and adolescence is related to greater risk of future alcohol dependence (e.g., Bates & Labouvie, 1995; Caspi et al., 1997; Cloninger, Sigvardsson, & Bohman, 1988; Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992; Schuckit, 1998; Zucker, Fitzgerald, & Moses, 1995), and adults with high impulsivity scores are more likely to be diagnosed with alcoholism (e.g., Bergman & Brismar, 1994), as are offspring of highly impulsive individuals (e.g., Alterman et al., 1998; Sher, 1991). Negative affectivity and problems with emotion regulation are considered by some to be a major feature driving comorbidity of Cluster B disorders (e.g., BPD; Linehan, 1993) and substance use disorder.

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Atheists have a higher suicide rate than the religious.

The abstract for journal article A Comparison of Borderline and Nonborderline Alcoholic Patients published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry states:

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Attempts to document systematically the presence of borderline personality disorder in alcoholic patients were made in 94 alcoholic patients consecutively admitted to an inpatient alcoholism program. Operational diagnoses of borderline or not borderline used Gunderson's semistructured Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB). With the use of conservative criteria, 12.8% of alcoholic patients could be designated as having borderline disorders. Borderline alcoholics were significantly younger and were more likely to have a history of drug abuse, suicide attempts, and accidents. Diminished satisfaction with self and family life and a greater tendency to experience craving across a variety of situations was reported.

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The Christian Post reported about atheism and drug addiction:

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Religion has "enormous potential for lowering the risk of substance abuse among teens and adults," according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. They report that adults and teens who consider religion to be very important and who attend religious services weekly or more often are "far less likely to smoke, drink or use illicit drugs." In addition, those battling addiction who attend spiritually-based support programs as part of their treatment "are more likely to maintain sobriety." By contrast, adults who never attend religious services are "almost seven times likelier to drink, three times likelier to smoke, more than five times likelier to have used an illicit drug other than marijuana, almost seven times likelier to binge drink and almost eight times likelier to use marijuana" than adults who attend religious services at least once a week. Research also indicates that teenagers who are involved in religious activities are half as likely to have substance abuse problems as those who are not. In addition, spirituality has been found to help teens overcome genetic tendencies for alcoholism, social pressure, and a family history of abuse.

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In addition, atheists have a higher suicide rate than the religious. See: Atheism and suicide and Atheism and depression

The atheist divorce rate is a steep 37%.

For more information, please see: Atheism, divorce, love and poor interpersonal skills

The atheist divorce rate is a steep 37%. Additionally, 51% of atheists are likely to cohabit and 31% of atheists never actually get married. Christian apologist Michael Caputo wrote: "Recently the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has published its mammoth study on Religion in America based on 35,000 interviews... According to the Pew Forum a whopping 37% of atheists never marry as opposed to 19% of the American population, 17% of Protestants and 17% of Catholics."

Scientific research has demonstrated that active churchgoers are "35% less likely to divorce than those who have no religious preferences".

According to the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) over 50% of all atheists and agnostics don’t get married. See also: Atheism and marriage

The fertility rate is significantly lower in the atheist population (see: Atheism and fertility rates).

In relation to atheism and divorce, Theodore Beale wrote in his book The Irrational Atheist about atheist Daniel Dennett's arguments related to divorce:

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Dennett further claims that “brights” have better family values than born-again Christians based on “the lowest divorce rate in the United States” which depends on the flawed 1999 Barna study instead of the 2001 ARIS study he makes use of later in the book, a much larger study that reaches precisely the opposite conclusion. It is certainly a quixotic assertion, considering that these family value atheists are half as likely to get married, twice as likely to divorce, and have fewer children than any other group in the United States... Barna calculated divorces as a percentage of the entire group, not as a percentage of marriages within that group. Since according to ARIS 2001 more than half of all atheists and agnostics don’t get married, this is an apple-orange comparison. If one correctly excludes the never-married from the calculation, then atheists are 58.7 percent more likely to get divorced than Pentecostals and Baptists, the two born-again Christian groups with the highest rate of divorce, and more than twice as likely to get divorced than Christians in general.

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Atheism, alcoholism and narcissism

See also: Atheism and narcissism and Atheism and arrogance and Narcissistic personality disorder

A study found that atheists were more likely to be seen as narcissistic than religious believers - especially male atheists.

See also: Atheism and narcissism

The article Personality Disorders and Alcohol indicates: {{Cquote|Narcissistic personality disorder occurs when an individual has an extravagant and overblown view of themselves and their importance. Narcissistic personality disorder and alcohol abuse share several similarities. Both conditions involve denial, as a narcissist believes that they are perfect, while denial allows addiction to develop. Narcissistic personality disorder and alcohol use disorder are both characterized by a lack of self-reflection, a sense of entitlement and an unwillingness to accept responsibility.

The website Medical News Today states:

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A 2019 study looked at the link between narcissism and alcohol consumption in a questionnaire of 345 college students. Both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism were predictors of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. The study commented that people who show grandiose traits may have feelings of importance in an environment of drinking where this quality may thrive. Narcissists with low self-esteem may gain acceptance from others or a sense of security through alcohol consumption or use it as a coping mechanism for dealing with distress. Nearly 22 percent of people with a narcissistic personality diagnosis also meet the diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder. Some people with narcissistic personality disorder may use alcohol to cope with negative emotions and feelings. Alcohol use can heighten a narcissist’s feelings of entitlement and showiness while reducing empathy for others.

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According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Tennessee: "If any subset of our non-belief sample fit the “angry, argumentative, dogmatic” stereotype, it is the Anti-Theists. This group scored the highest amongst our other typologies on empirical psychometric measures of anger, autonomy, agreeableness, narcissism, and dogmatism while scoring lowest on measures of positive relations with others."

The abstract for the 2017 journal article The perception of atheists as narcissistic which was originally published in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality indicates:

"Research into prejudice toward atheists has generally focused on broad characteristics. Some of these characteristics (i.e., self-centeredness, elitism, individualism, and immorality) indicate a possible prejudice of narcissism. To investigate this specific prejudice, the present study used the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (Raskin & Terry, 1988), the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (Hendin & Cheek, 1997), and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1983), which were adjusted so that the items of each measure were changed from first-person statements to third-person statements to measure participants’ perceptions. Participants (N = 359) were given a description of a fictitious individual named Alex, portrayed to them as either male or female and atheist or religious, or male or female with no additional information (creating 6 experimental groups), and then asked to complete the measures as they thought the individual would. Participants consistently rated atheists higher on narcissism measures and lower on empathy measures, indicating a perception of greater narcissism and a lack of empathy compared with religious individuals and controls. Participants’ perceptions of Alex were affected by his or her gender in conjunction with his or her religion, and the 2 variables of gender and religion interacted to create different patterns of perception. In general, interactions indicated differences in the way religion and gender impacted the perception of individuals as narcissistic, affecting perceptions of males more than females. The results are consistent with research findings that perceptions of atheists tend to be negative and prejudicial. This study highlights the need to compare perceptions with actual personality differences between atheists and religious individuals."

The atheist Adam Lee wrote:

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The atheist community has a lamentable tendency to make the same mistakes over and over... Yet there are those who seem to believe that, just by becoming an atheist, they've proven their superior rationality and are qualified to opine on any subject. Worse, this attitude often comes with an arrogant certainty that they have no need to listen or learn from people who've actually lived through moral dilemmas that are merely abstract to them.

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The atheist activist Lee Moore said about the future of the atheist movement and its significant issues with in-fighting, "We're all kind of like self-centered and egocentrical atheists." See also: Atheist factions and Atheism and social skills

One of the common and well-founded charges against atheists is their arrogance and presumptuousness.

The atheist Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: "But now God is dead. You superior men, this God was your greatest danger. Only since he is in the grave, have you risen again. Only now comes the great noontide; only now the superior man will be – Lord!".

The picture of Nietzsche above was taken in 1899. Nietzsche died in 1900.

For more information, please see: Atheism and arrogance

Journal article Alcoholism, Personality, and Religion/Spirituality: An Integrative Review

The journal article Alcoholism, Personality, and Religion/Spirituality: An Integrative Review in the journal Current Drug Abuse Reviews indicates:

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A review of the literature on the relationships between alcoholism, personality, and religion identified patterns that may help explain the inverse association between alcoholism and religion/spirituality (R/S). Personality plays a central role in two etiological models of alcoholism. The personality traits of high behavioral undercontrol (low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness) and high negative affect (high Neuroticism) are both significantly related to higher alcohol use. Religiosity is also correlated with these traits, but in the opposite direction (e.g., with low behavioral undercontrol and low negative affect). Thus, the personality profiles associated with alcoholism and religion are the inverse of one another. In addition, evidence suggests that R/S moderates genetic variation on both Neuroticism and Disinhibition (part of behavioral undercontrol). Implications are discussed in terms of competing explanatory models: a basic research model which argues for genetically-determined stability in personality and alcoholism risk, and a clinical treatment model which argues for the primacy of environmental interventions in treatment and the possibility of personality change as a pathway to recovery.

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The negative effects of excess alcohol use on an individual’s personality

Alterations in four of the “Big Five” personality traits are linked to problematic alcohol use.

The article Alcohol Use in Adults May Lead to Detrimental Personality Changes by Claire Wilcox, MD states:

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Alterations in four of the “Big Five” personality traits are linked to problematic alcohol use. Personality traits have been shown to contribute to problematic drinking; in some studies, higher extraversion, lower conscientiousness, lower agreeableness, and lower openness have predicted later greater alcohol use. However, the opposite is possible, as higher alcohol consumption in adolescents and young adults has been shown to predict higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness. To learn whether alcohol use in adults predicts later changes in personality traits, researchers pooled data on 39,722 respondents from six longitudinal surveys conducted in Germany, Australia, and the U.S. (mean age, 52; 54% women). Analyses adjusted for baseline personality trait score, age, sex, race/ethnicity, and the length of follow-up time. The four self-reported alcohol use variables at baseline (high average alcohol consumption, binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, and risky alcohol use [i.e., any of the other three variables]) predicted lower agreeableness and conscientiousness at follow-up (mean, 5.6 years). In addition, all baseline variables except alcohol consumption predicted lower emotional stability. Baseline risky drinking and high consumption predicted higher extraversion. These results highlight the possibility of a vicious cycle, in which alcohol contributes to harmful personality change, which then contributes to greater drinking.

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Articles on the negative effects of alcohol on an individual's personality

Northbound Treatment, which offers alcohol and drug treatment, has multiple locations throughout California. Northbound Treatment has an article entitled Common Alcoholic Personality Traits & Changes which discusses the short and long terms effects of excessive drinking effects on an individuals personality.

Psych Central features an article Does Drinking Alcohol Change Your Personality? which offers information on how alcohol affects brain function.

GoodRx Health has an article on this subject at: Can Drinking Too Much Alcohol Change One’s Personality?.

Other articles:

• Does Drinking Change Your Personality Long-Term?, Freedom Center website

• How Alcohol Changes Your Personality

Studies on excess alcohol use and its effect on people's personality

The journal article Are Changes in Personality Traits and Alcohol Use Associated? A Cohort Study Among Young Swiss Men published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry noted:

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Results: Aggression–hostility, sensation seeking, and sociability were significantly and positively cross-sectionally associated with both alcohol use variables. Drinking volume and these three personality traits bidirectionally predicted each other. Binge drinking was bidirectionally associated with sensation-seeking only, whereas aggression–hostility and sociability only predicted binge drinking, but not vice versa. Changes in alcohol use were significantly positively associated with changes in aggression–hostility, sensation seeking, and sociability. Associations reached small Cohen's effect sizes for sociability and sensation seeking, but not for aggression–hostility. Associations with neuroticism–anxiety were mostly not significant. Conclusion: The direction of effects confirmed findings from other studies, and the association between changes in personality and alcohol use support the idea that prevention programs should simultaneously target both.

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According to the journal article Alcohol use and personality change in middle and older adulthood published in the journal the Journal of Personalized Medicine: "Findings from the Health and Retirement Study Latent difference score models indicated decreases in extraversion to be attenuated for individuals categorized as light-to-moderate drinkers at baseline, while decreases in conscientiousness were accentuated by having experienced alcohol dependence symptoms. Moreover, personality difference scores correlated with changes in the amount of alcohol consumed at follow-up."

See also

• Atheism and mental illness
• Atheism, divorce, addiction, sexual satisfaction, social skills, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes, and irrationality
• Atheism and health
• Avoidant personality disorder