The Sociopath and Me: A Love Story

Because of the overwhelming messages I've received from my Narcissist's Harem post a couple of years ago, I'm continuing my story. I'm lifting the veil of shame from choices I've made and want to share the personal lessons I've taken with me along this ever-evolving road of self-discovery. If there's one thing I've learned through exposing intimate (often ugly) truths about myself, it's that I am never - ever alone.  If you've been involved with someone crippled by the restraints of mental illness, I'm here to tell you, neither are you.

Before we delve further into my story of The Sociopath and Me, full disclosure time. If you're new to this blog - I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm crazy. Yes, it's true. As millions of us do*, I struggle with my own form of mental illness. It's a lovely brew that simmers on low most of the time on the back burner of my life.

Everyone's personal story is their own, so I'm not here to dissect the ingredients that create my savory dish (which include Clinical Depression, Histrionic, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). But like every herb and spice the makings of mental illness are as organic as their owner's story. We are born with certain DNA that serve as welcome mats to things like mental illness, addiction, alcoholism and any other myriad of issues. But the nature vs. nurture argument cannot exist without mentioning the way we were raised as children, and how that plays a major part in the comedy and tragedy that is life.

Once delving into mental therapy and doing the dirty work as to why I kept making the same poor choices, the reasons for my diagnosis became clear. Yes, I have a family history of depression, but taking six pills of Molly (MDMA, Ecstasy, "E", "X") for five years almost nightly doesn't come without some pretty major brain damage.

The delicious irony I can only see now - is that in my quest to capture the euphoria that Molly served (truck loads of Dopamine and Serotonin, the 'feel good' brain waves), my downward crashes were heavy. I was a 24-year-old stripper with cash and freedom, but suffocating on thoughts of suicide and self-loathing while I lived the rock star life.

"Stripper Cliché, your self-serving over indulgent table of toxic choices is ready!"

It took way too many damaged brain cells to learn that taking a little white pill for Happy always came at the price of The Unfathomable Sad.

In terms of the other ingredients making up my personal diagnosis, I will just say that nurture comes into play. You've got your garden variety father abandonment, step-father abuse and overall neglect peppered with a healthy dose of alcoholism from both parents. But I won't bore you with the details of my Lifetime Movie of the Week. None of us need reminders that we are all products of our childhoods; we realize this with every bad decision and self-sabotaging action.

Although I don't speak for strippers and drug addicts in general, it's a safe bet to determine that anyone who like me, lived a decade naked on stage wasn't there because of an inflated sense of self-worth. More irony here - growing up with a valid fear of abandonment pretty much ensures we'll abandon our own selves in the process of becoming an adult. When it's all we know, personal dysfunction is comforting and as screwed up as it sounds, treating ourselves like shit - feels like coming home.

Which brings us to The Sociopath and Me.

When hearing someone described as a sociopath, I used to immediately think, Ted Bundy. In other words, if you were labeled with this mentally ill moniker, you were a straight up serial killer - period. My judgement was so far into the horror of such a twisted mind, that I made the common mistake most of us who've been involved with sociopaths do: we dilute reality with fantasies. And hey - they're not murdering us - so, they aren't that bad'!

I'm not a psychiatrist, but I'm thinking it's kind of a red flag when "not murdering me" is on the plus side in justifying why you're dating someone who you know isn't good for you.

"He's a total Sociopath." My friend declared, after hearing yet another story of he and I. For my friend, these tales were a constant loop of dysfunction. It drove her nuts that I was still with this guy. Her conviction was enough for me to Google what exactly she was talking about.

After learning of the characteristics that make up your typical sociopath (not to be confused with psychopath), I was eerily familiar:

• Lie to get what they want, Lie to see if they can get away with it (for the sake of lying)
• Incredibly charming
• Manipulative, Deceptive, Cunning
• Impulsive
• Disregard for Rules, Safety of Self or Others (Self Harm)
• Thrill Seekers (Drugs/Alcohol Abusers)
• No Personal Responsibility (it's never their fault, they are always the victim)
• Craves to Always be the Center of Attention

I should be clear in saying that my calling this person a sociopath is my opinion - and not a professional diagnosis. But after reading up on Psychiatrists' articles, I gotta say I'm pretty spot on with my feeling. So is my friend. And here I thought my fella was just tinkering on narcissist tendencies.

So what's the difference between Narcissists and Sociopaths, anyway? Here's what I found:

THE SIMILARITIES

• Both are very charming and charismatic.
• Both tend to be very intuitive and skilled at observing and reading people.
• Both are egocentric and self-interested. Me, Me, Me and Mine!
• Both do not take accountability or blame for their actions but will gladly accept the credit for anything positive.
• Both believe they are never wrong.

THE DIFFERENCES

• Sociopaths will deliver an insincere but convincing apology if it benefits their agenda, a narcissist will not.
• Sociopaths will appear more humble and less of a braggart. Narcissists are more oblivious to how they appear to others and will often boast about their achievements.
• Sociopaths upon meeting you, will try to pick your brain and ask you a lot of questions. Narcissists will focus the conversation on themselves and their interests.
• Sociopaths are manipulative and calculating and will exploit others to further their agenda. Narcissists exploit others who they feel are hindering their agenda.

All very interesting!So why on earth would anyone get involved with this type of person? For me, it all boiled down to my lack of self-worth (doesn't it always?). Also, like with most relationships, the beginning stages are always covered in bliss. The charm, sex, laughter and exploration of being with a new "love" is intoxicating. Add some serious intimacy issues with both people and the ride - no matter how dangerous - is even more of a thrill.As I've written about in "Boredom or Bedlam: Are You An Emotional Cutter?" some people crave and create drama because it makes them feel. In my case, we were both unaware that we were doing this and totally getting off on the rush.This post isn't meant to call anyone out, but rather a way to shed light on why any of us would be with someone who is wrong for us. Especially after we know better.When we don't truly see our value, we continually give people discounts. We settle for crumbs at the table because we've been emotionally starving for love. The problem is the crumbs never fill us and we keep going back to the table for more. It's not until we leave these toxic tables and choose other, healthier menus altogether that we finally find true love - especially with ourselves.So if you're like me and you've allowed yourself too many crumbs and not enough healthy servings of love - I'm here to tell you, it's not hopeless. The first step to being free from your self-loathing and shame (for being with yet, another 'fixer-upper' partner), is knowing we are worth more and truly getting the fact that - no matter how much we love someone - their issues are always their own - and NOT about us.Being alone is scary. It can get lonely. It often sucks. But know this: feeling alone when someone is in our life is always, unequivocally worse than actually being alone.I will always love The Sociopath. My heart is wrapped around him and his issues and I wish him well with his story. But in order to navigate my own in a healthier way, I had to close our chapter. It was easier than I expected because I'm in a different place than I was when we met. He has a lot to do with that.  As crazy as it sounds, I am grateful.Once we realize the love for ourselves is what guides us to healthy love with others, being alone instead of with the wrong person isn't at all bad.

* In 2014, there were an estimated 43.6 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with Any Mental Illness (AMI) in the past year. This number represented 18.1% of all U.S. adults. - National Institute of Mental Health.