People are known as borderline people who suffer from a psychological condition called borderline personality disorder.

Borderline personality is a mental condition in which a person has distorted self-image, difficulty managing emotions, behavior, and unstable relationship patterns leading to impulsivity.

Symptoms of borderline personality disorder:

To understand borderline people’s personality traits and characters, it is vital to know their symptoms. Borderline people exhibit the following symptoms:

  • Intense mood swings
  • Extreme opinions
  • Intense emotional reactivity
  • Impulsive and dangerous behaviors like rash driving, unsafe sexual activity, substance abuse, and binge eating.
  • Self-harm and high-risk behaviors such as cutting.
  • Persistent feeling of emptiness
  • Anger fits
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Skeptical of others intentions and emotions of distrust
  • An intense feeling of dissociation and an unstable sense of self.
  • Fear of abandonment
  • Intense and dangerous relations. The anticipation of being abandoned leads to suspicious behavior, distrust, anger, extreme dislike, and sudden breakups. While the intense phase of attachment leads to extreme closeness.
  • Depressive episode and anxiety
  • Feelings of unease
  • A sense of void and a chronic feeling of emptiness.

Borderline personality disorder and addiction:

Borderline people exhibit dangerous behaviors due to impulsive moods and uncontrollable emotions and behaviors. Their mental void involves self-injurious activities, including minor self-harm, suicide, and drug and substance abuse.

Nearly 75% of people who have borderline personality disorder have substance use disorder at some point in their life. While 24% of borderline people have alcohol use disorder, 40% suffer from complete dependency on alcohol. Binge eating disorder is also common in people with bipolar disorder.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has a strong link with addiction. They both share a two-way link. Consumption of drugs and Alcohol excites the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. On the other hand, rage, depression, anxiety, and fear of abandonment lead to drug addiction to ease the pain.

Impulsivity is defined as behavior without adequate thought behind it or rapid and unplanned reaction to stimuli without considering the consequences. Impulsivity is related to the neurotransmitter Dopamine that plays a significant role in the pathway of addiction.

Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive and persistent harmful behaviors that may long-lasting impact the brain. Addiction refers to substance abuse or alcohol intake, gambling, uncontrolled sexual activities, binge eating, etc.

Why borderline people develop addiction:

  • People who have borderline personality disorder use alcohol and drugs as a relief. Alcohol and drugs tend to reduce anxiety and lower social inhibition. It temporarily overcomes the helplessness and distorted self-image. Also, it empowers vulnerable borderline people. Alcohol and drug addiction take them to a trance where they feel beyond their problems. Alcohol also has efficacy in relieving the symptoms of borderline personality disorder.
  • People with borderline personality disorder also have bad relations with people around them and have unstable relationships. This can lead to alcohol and substance abuse to get relief and lead to sexual addiction, to find an escape and overcome their fear of abandonment.
  • Due to increased dopamine and serotonin activity, borderline people develop mental cravings that result in impulsive behaviors. Hence, they seek drugs, alcohol, or any other mentioned type of addiction.
  • Aggression fits and emotional reactivity are also significant reasons behind impulsive decisions to seek relief in any addictive and harmful activities that are pleasurable but uncontrollable and manageable use is dangerous for psychological and physical health.
  • Due to their impulsive behaviors, persistent depressive episodes, and sudden swings, they often use medication, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers.

Negative consequences of addiction in borderline people: 

Addiction always has a long time impact on the brain and overall health. Borderline people easily fall for addiction that leads to severe and intense negative consequences, including total dependency, that’s the last stage of addiction.

Some of the negative consequences are:

  1. The use of addictive stimulants and a persistent exhibition of dangerous behaviors intensify instability, which causes significant stress and anxiety, increasing self-destructive and self-harming behaviors.
  2. The use of drugs and alcohol deteriorates physical health. These increased adverse health outcomes lead to a higher risk of suicide in people with borderline disorder.
  3. Drug abuse, etc., also acts as a hindrance in treating personality disorders. They block and slow down the progress of therapy.
  4. They strengthen some of the symptoms of borderline personality disorders.

A borderline personality disorder is characterized by continuously varying patterns of moods and self-image, resulting in impulsive behaviors and unstable relationships. These symptoms of borderline personality induce void, emptiness, depression, anxiety, and much more.

To tackle that, to seek relief, to temporarily lighten the symptoms of borderline personality disorder, these people easily fall into addiction that ranges from substance abuse and alcohol to binge eating and uncontrollable sexual activity. These addictions are common in borderline people and present in their necessary and severe form, resulting in further psychological, physical, and adjustment-related disorders. It also hinders the treatment and therapy of the disorder.

On the other hand, the right way to tackle Borderline Personality disorder is mental intervention and proper therapy. It takes a medical professional to make a proper diagnosis through complex medical procedures. In the post-COVID world, people can also seek BPD therapy online.

Coping Strategies to Lessen the Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

Staying Active: Physical activities promote increased intake of oxygen, which enhances the functioning of the brain that helps control the voluntary and involuntary thought processes.

Taking breaks: Taking a break for yourself in the hustle and bustle of social media accounts and variants is necessary for someone who has a borderline personality disorder. Take the time out to yourself and maybe go out on vacation if possible.

Writing a Journal: Keeping a journal helps you keep track of your daily routine and thoughts. This would, in turn, help you not only vent out but have a better understanding of your thought pattern. Understanding your thought pattern helps you better understand your mental state, allowing better self-control.

Writing on Forums/Penpal websites: Keeping long-distance friends is also another healthy mental activity that you can take up to keep your sanity. This would help you improve your mental health state and find new horizons in the world that can help you find a new purpose.

Staying Busy: Staying busy in the activities you love is the best way to keep the borderline personality monster at bay. It would save you distracted, and you would be able to practice and keep your focus on the task at hand instead of falling into negative thought patterns.