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Drinking alcohol causes the prefrontal cortex part of the brain to be inhibited. This area of the brain is responsible for solving problems, managing emotions, and making sound judgments. Men were more aggressive than women overall, but the effects of alcohol and personality were similar in both sexes. In other words, women who were present-focused were still much more aggressive when drunk than were women who were future-focused, just like men. Attending one-on-one therapy with a licensed therapist can help you work through anger issues in a more private setting. Scheduling an appointment with a professional who specializes in anger management may be more beneficial than participating in group therapy if you have social anxiety.
- If you’re struggling with becoming angry when you drink or you cannot stop drinking despite various attempts, rest assured that help is available.
- For years, our team at Gateway Foundation has provided comprehensive recovery programs for people going through alcohol misuse.
- However, in order to develop specific treatment programs suitable controlled trials of treatments are needed, comparing specific forms of intervention to standard treatment.
People are more likely to respond to emotional triggers when drinking, but even the slightest hint of offense could cause a fight for the angry drunk. If you’ve ever started or been involved in a drunken altercation, reflect on what happened and how the situation could have been handled better. Both clinical observations and scientific data have shown that the manifestation of alcohol-related aggression is by no means uniform. In addition, more recent models are moving away from single-factor causes and towards multifactorial sets of conditions. In the following, these models will be described and discussed on the basis of a selective review of original articles, reviews, and book chapters.
Neuroscience and Alcohol
Studies indicate that alcohol is linked more closely with aggression than any other substance¹. For years, our team at Gateway Foundation has provided comprehensive recovery programs for people going through alcohol misuse. Through various treatment options, we can help you get back to a life of normalcy. For more information about how we can assist you in your recovery journey, read about our alcohol addiction treatment options.
Aggression itself refers to a range of behaviors resulting in physical and psychological harm to yourself or others. “Trait anger” refers to a person’s general aggression or tendency to experience anger over time. This means that chronically alcoholic rage syndrome angry people may constantly seek out stimuli to make them angry, sometimes without even realizing it. This may explain why they’re angrier more often and act more aggressively than people who don’t have this particular personality trait.
Moderate Your Drinking
For example, if you’re intoxicated, you might perceive someone bumping into you by accident as a provocation and respond aggressively. Alcohol-induced behavior can have serious repercussions and oftentimes alcohol works to ‘fuel the fire’ for an angry drunk. Those who possess aggression when they drink are the ones who are most vulnerable when they consume alcohol.
According to research compiled by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, alcohol use is a considerable contributing factor to sexual assault. Similarly, in nearly 40% of violent incidents, surveyed individuals from the United Kingdom said they believed their perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol. While drinking alcohol isn’t the sole reason for assault, it plays a substantial role in whether someone commits a violent crime.