Drunk people often act differently due to alcohol's effects on the brain, showing impaired coordination (stumbling, clumsiness), slurred speech, poor judgment, and exaggerated emotions (happy, sad, angry) with lowered inhibitions, leading to impulsivity, increased talkativeness, or aggression, while also experiencing memory issues like blackouts as intoxication deepens. Behaviors vary greatly, but common signs include slow movements to hide unsteadiness, heightened sociability or irritability, and risky decisions they wouldn't normally make.
Physical Appearance
The seven stages of alcohol intoxication, based on increasing Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels, are Sobriety, Euphoria, Excitement, Confusion, Stupor, Coma, and Death, progressing from mild impairment to severe central nervous system depression, with significant risks of injury or fatality at higher levels.
Alcohol intoxication causes behavior problems and mental changes. These may include inappropriate behavior, unstable moods, poor judgment, slurred speech, problems with attention or memory, and poor coordination. You can also have periods called "blackouts," where you don't remember events.
Alcohol can also cause a person to become loud, offensive, and even argumentative. Movement – This is one of the biggest signs of alcohol intoxication. Alcohol causes a loss of coordination. An individual may sway their body, fumble around, or be touchy with another person.
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
And, not surprisingly, in the moment, that can make you feel happy, even euphoric. But although under the influence you may well act differently, that in itself doesn't mean that drinking reveals—or can reveal—who you actually are.
There are 4 Types of Drunks
There are 4 types of drinking, including social, binge, moderate and heavy drinkers, and 4 types of drinkers who have different reasons for drinking, including social, conforming, enhancement and coping.
The "20-minute rule for alcohol" is a simple strategy to moderate drinking: wait 20 minutes after finishing one alcoholic drink before starting the next, giving you time to rehydrate with water and reassess if you truly want another, often reducing cravings and overall intake. It helps slow consumption, break the chain of continuous drinking, and allows the body a natural break, making it easier to decide if you've had enough or switch to a non-alcoholic option.
Onset (how fast you feel it): Alcohol starts acting within minutes; most people feel peak effects around 30–45 minutes—faster on an empty stomach and with higher-ABV spirits. “Drunk” feeling (how long it lasts): For many, intoxication lasts several hours (often the length of a night out).
Should I Let Them Sleep It Off? Absolutely not! Even though the person may appear to be "sleeping it off," their blood alcohol level can still rise and create a life-threatening situation.
Impaired Judgment and Decision-Making
Under the influence of alcohol, individuals may engage in risky or impulsive behaviors and make poor decisions. What someone says while intoxicated may not reflect their true thoughts or beliefs due to their impairment.
Which behavior is most likely to indicate alcohol abuse? Continuing to drink after clear harm, like a DUI or relationship breakup tied to drinking, is a strong indicator. So is drinking to change mood, blacking out, or drinking for long periods alone.
Alcohol often encourages people to express long-repressed sorrows or grievances that are real and usually unspoken. Under the influence of alcohol, it's common to say things we wouldn't normally express, whether they are long-buried fears, prejudices, or simply confused ideas.
4 to 6 units
It begins to affect the part of your brain associated with judgement and decision making, causing you to be more reckless and uninhibited. The alcohol also impairs the cells in your nervous system, making you feel lightheaded and adversely affecting your reaction time and co-ordination.
Heavy drinking includes binge drinking and has been defined for women as 4 or more drinks on any day or 8 or more per week, and for men as 5 or more drinks on any day or 15 or more per week.
Mood disturbances (which frequently are not severe enough to qualify as “disorders”) are arguably the most common psychiatric complaint among treatment-seeking alcoholic patients, affecting upwards of 80 percent of alcoholics at some point in their drinking careers (Brown and Schuckit 1988; Anthenelli and Schuckit 1993 ...
It's easy to believe that alcohol makes you tell the truth, but the reality is far more complicated. Alcohol's effects on the brain can lead to impulsivity, emotional distortion, and cognitive impairment, which often results in hurtful or inaccurate statements rather than genuine honesty.
Your Brain on Alcohol
Slurred Speech: One of the most immediate signs of high blood alcohol concentration is slurred or incoherent speech. If you notice that someone is struggling to form words or is talking in a way that is noticeably slower and less articulate than usual, this may be a clear sign they have been drinking excessively.
The single, unifying symptom for all individuals with alcoholism (Alcohol Use Disorder) is the inability to control drinking, often characterized by intense cravings and a compulsion to drink, even when it causes significant harm, with the core issue being a loss of control once drinking begins, leading to continued use despite negative consequences. While physical dependence (withdrawal) and tolerance are common, the fundamental commonality is this internal struggle to stop or moderate, a concept often called the "phenomenon of craving" in recovery literature.
The effects alcohol has on honesty are complex. While alcohol can lower a person's inhibitions, it doesn't necessarily make them more truthful. Alcohol can make speaking their mind freely easier, but it can also compromise the accuracy of their statements by impairing judgment.
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.