Alcohol myopia occurs because alcohol use leads to changes in the brain that result in an inability to process information correctly. As a result, people may focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else. This can make it difficult to see the potential ramifications of their actions, which can in turn lead to aggression. For example, it may impact your ability to think clearly, make decisions or react quickly. Before we go any further, it’s important to realize that while these two terms may seem similar, they’re actually quite different in many ways.

Anger Management Strategies

One study found that chronic alcohol use decreases the function in the prefrontal cortex, which plays a key role in impulse control. Individuals who experience a strong tendency toward anger may turn to alcohol in an attempt to elevate their mood or distract themselves from their feelings. Alcohol is often used as a self-management tool in the absence of other self-management tools or capabilities. Interestingly, individual differences in alcohol metabolism can play a significant role in how people react to drinking.

We and our partners process data to provide:

• Alcohol had minimal impact on aggression for those who thought about future consequences.
• I’ve observed this pattern over several decades in helping clients deal with anger.
• Peer pressure and social norms can sometimes encourage aggressive behavior.

By contrast, some individuals’ alcohol consumption contributes to their anger, hostility, and even aggression. In his case, he was already drug addiction predisposed to anger arousal before he had his first drink. Factors like underlying personality traits, neurochemical makeup, and even the presence of disorders like antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) can influence alcohol-related aggression.

Social factors

Alcohol-related aggressiveness can also occur commonly if you’re already struggling with a mental health issue such as anxiety, stress, and depression. In such a case, drinking alcohol can further exaggerate the condition and precipitate anger-related issues. Although alcohol consumption may produce short-term relaxing and soothing effects, it has many adverse effects on human behavior and emotions in the long run.

It can have a major impact on their family members’ quality of life and even be a detriment to the healthy development of any children they have. Blackouts are dangerous events, as the individual basically loses the ability to be cogent or aware of their actions. In most cases, the individual will pass out from intoxication and sleep off the effects of the alcohol, but in the morning may remember nothing about a specific period of time from the prior night.

• People can be more prone to alcoholic rage based on genetics, life stressors, antisocial personality disorder, or personality traits such as underlying irritability.
• A “crazy drunk person” is one who drinks excessively and frequently due to alcoholism.
• Specifically, it found that problematic drinkers may be more likely to attend to aggressogenic stimuli while intoxicated, and that is, they were more likely to experience certain cues as aggressive.

One such study included 136 men with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) (Estruch, 2017). The individuals who had higher mental rigidity had lower empathy and perception of the severity of IPV. Additionally, they reported higher alcohol use and hostile sexism than those lower in mental rigidity. Specifically, it found that problematic drinkers may be more likely to attend to aggressogenic stimuli while intoxicated, and that is, they were more likely to experience certain cues as aggressive. Another study explored the relationship between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), alcohol use, and violence (Blakey et al., 2018).

• However, if anger is not treated and managed appropriately, this may cause harm to your health.
• Another study of 249 heavy drinkers similarly found that alcohol intoxication predicted higher levels of IPV in those who reported low psychological flexibility (Grom et al., 2021).
• Many people with “angry drunk” tendencies also end up on the wrong side of law.
• One experiment concluded that alcohol consumption decreases the consumer’s ability to correctly process social cues, making them more likely to perceive hostility in other people.
• This impact can begin to take place after just one drink, depending on the person and other factors, he adds (2).
• Selecting the best care involves considering your personal needs, circumstances, and preferences.

Understanding these factors is key to recognizing and addressing alcohol-induced aggression. Alcohol changes the levels of this brain chemical, which can influence your mood and emotions. Additionally, alcohol myopia, which is when you focus only on the immediate situation and ignore future consequences, can lead to poor decision-making and aggressive responses. In addition to the above, many people who drink regularly will experience what’s known as alcohol myopia. This is when someone who is drinking or drunk will lose their sense of perception, judgment and self-control. When you drink alcohol and behave aggressively, you may be violent with your family members, leading to domestic violence.

Impact of Alcohol-Related Aggression

But effects to other neurotransmitters, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamine, may also be involved. Alcohol can impair the OFC, and disrupt communication between the OFC and the amygdala. Without the OFC doing its job of calming those intense emotions, a person can have a strong reaction (2). Alcohol causes changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), leading to disinhibition. Try deep breathing, counting to ten, or stepping away from a heated moment.

• Researchers have identified several other factors that may increase the likelihood of post-alcohol consumption aggression.
• Suddenly, the person they know and care for is a much different, angrier person — short-tempered, abusive and often violent.
• “Later on in the night, you may find someone crying or becoming overly emotional, and this is because, as the alcohol wears off, there is a big drop in serotonin below baseline,” Tietz explains.
• First, it can help individuals recognize their own patterns of behavior and seek help if needed.

Cultural norms and attitudes towards drinking and aggression vary widely across alcohol and aggression different societies. In some cultures, alcohol-fueled aggression might be more tolerated or even expected, while in others, it’s strongly discouraged. These societal expectations can shape individual behavior, sometimes in surprising ways. To comprehend why some people become aggressive when drunk, we need to look at what’s happening inside the brain.