Yes, sometimes people mean what they say when they are drunk. But most of the time, people say whatever comes to mind when drinking without any concern if it's genuinely how they feel. Alcohol lowers inhibition and makes people feel talkative, extroverted, and emboldened.
Popular wisdom holds that our true desires and feelings tend to come to light while we're drunk. Although drinking alcohol can definitely lower your inhibitions, there's no evidence to suggest that alcohol necessarily unlocks any deep-seated feelings or desires.
Key points. While under the influence you'll probably act differently, but that doesn't mean drinking reveals who you really are. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, leading you to act more impulsively and care less about how others adversely regard your behavior.
However, it is important to remember that alcohol also impairs our judgment and leaves us less able to think clearly. As a result, the things we say when we are drunk may not necessarily reflect our true feelings or beliefs. In other words, drunken words may not always be sober thoughts.
They know what they're doing — alcohol just makes them care less about the consequences. Via Healthzone: A new study says that people who commit blunders while under the influence of alcohol know they're doing it; they just don't care.
Social lubricant: Essentially, “this motive meant that people drunk dialed because they had more confidence, had more courage, could express themselves better, and felt less accountability for their actions."
The Affectionate Drunk
Alcohol lowers our inhibitions, and can make us more emotional. The combination makes some people more loving than usual when they've had too much to drink. There's nothing wrong with being affectionate with people we are familiar with.
Ryback (1970) wrote that intoxicated subjects in one of his studies “could carry on conversations during the amnesic state, but could not remember what they said or did 5 minutes earlier. Their immediate and remote memory were intact” (p.
Immediate medical assistance is necessary if the person is:
No longer breathing or does not have a pulse. Having difficulty breathing (choking, wheezing, or rasping) Breathing irregularly (less than 6x per minute, more than 20x per minute)
There are a few meanings behind drunk texts: They're thinking of you. Something reminded them of you. They feel intimidated by you and can't talk to you sober.
Alcohol can lower inhibitions, causing individuals to say things they usually keep to themselves. This can include hurtful comments about others' appearance, behaviors, or personal issues.
Generally, people drink to either increase positive emotions or decrease negative ones. This results in all drinking motives falling into one of four categories: enhancement (because it's exciting), coping (to forget about my worries), social (to celebrate), and conformity (to fit in).
The answer is yes. Alcohol can change your personality long-term, which may cause you to develop a drinking problem. Alcohol can cause damage to the brain, which could lead to personality changes or act as a trigger for other mental health issues like anxiety or depression.
Even if you feel very offended by a person's words while they are intoxicated, it's important to remember that this person is impaired. They aren't functioning normally, and it's therefore best not to take their behavior personally. Instead, save any serious conversation for when they are in a clear state of mind.
Many of the Americans we polled told us drinking alcohol made them feel happy. However, people we polled between the ages of 20 and 29 were the most likely to experience negative feelings like anxiety, sadness, and a sense of being overwhelmed.
Experts believe the reason some people become aggressive when drunk is due to the way alcohol affects the brain. Binge drinking increases the likelihood of both becoming aggressive or angry and also being on the receiving end of someone else's temper.
Helping your friend
Remember, when someone has had too much to drink, their judgement might be impaired, so don't get angry with your friend. Get them a glass of water or a soft drink, or even order them some food. This will stop them drinking and give their bodies time to process the alcohol.
Impaired control over alcohol use
This might mean not being able to control how long a drinking session is, how much alcohol you consume when you do drink, how frequently you drink, being unable to stop drinking once you start, or drinking on inappropriate occasions or at inappropriate places.
Stay calm and approach them in a non-aggressive stance, open, empty hands in a friendly, non authoritative manner. Try not to tell them what to do, but offer them choices and make your movements nice and slow. Be confident yet non-threatening with them and show genuine concern for their well-being.
Effects of Alcohol Abuse on the Brain
As a result, many people start to loosen up their inhibitions when they begin drinking. This leads to people saying whatever thoughts pop up in their minds that they would've normally repressed. This once again goes to show that drunk words are sober thoughts.
The drinker repeating themselves is one sign that they may be in a blackout. Another possible sign is that they will have a vacant look in their eyes where they don't appear to be fully focused and present. These are clues that may point to a potential alcohol-induced blackout.
With that said, while not everything that a person says while drunk is necessarily true, alcohol is a truth serum in cases where the emotions and beliefs expressed by the drunk individual are preexisting. In other words, alcohol can't make anyone say something they weren't already thinking or feeling.
Alcohol increases irritability and decreases inhibitions. With this combination, there is a chance you could be more mean or aggressive toward others. Alcohol clouds your judgment and leads to communication problems. This is especially true if the other person is also under the influence.
Being “drunk in love” is more than a poetic metaphor. Oxytocin, the famous "love hormone", can have effects that are remarkably similar to alcohol, indicating that there is a downside to what in recent years has been hailed as a wonder chemical.