This is because of a type of cognitive bias or “mental shortcut”, known as the availability heuristic, which leads people to form opinions based on the most recent information they receive. In these studies, male participants drank a dose of alcohol that placed them above the legal limit for driving a car – an average breath alcohol concentration of .09%. Then, they engaged in an aggression task, which was framed as a reaction time competition in which they could also behave aggressively toward another participant. What would happen if we made those cues which inhibit aggression more noticeable? According to Alcohol Myopia Theory, a drunk person should focus predominantly on those Sobriety inhibitory cues and, as a result, be less aggressive. Increasing the salience of inhibitory information leads us to the somewhat counterintuitive idea that alcohol can actually reduce aggressive behavior.

What we don’t know: The significant limitations of alcohol-related health research

• The co-treatment of alcohol recovery and anger management can be a very individualized process that may change according to your needs.
• One study found that chronic alcohol use decreases the function in the prefrontal cortex, which plays a key role in impulse control.
• And our orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which is part of the PFC, helps calm feelings of rage and aggression.
• The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• Drinking does not inevitably lead to violent behaviour, and most episodes of drunkenness pass without any violence.
• Significantly declined the crime rate to 9 homicides per month (Duailibi et al., 2007).

They why does alcohol make people violent measured how much electric shock each person could tolerate before finding it painful, and then set up a competitive game where participants could choose how intensely to shock their “opponent” after winning each round. If you or someone you love is battling aggression and alcohol misuse, help is available. Consult with a mental health professional and/or an addiction specialist who can provide resources and recommendations for treatment options. In a 2017 report, researchers shared their findings of the relationship between alcohol and dating violence.

• “It can be difficult to be aware of the impact of your emotions due to alcohol’s effect on the brain,” Metcalf explains.
• For example, if a person goes into a drinking experience with the expectation of alcohol helping them pick a fight with a partner later, that’s then likely to happen.
• The participants were assigned to either alcohol, a placebo, or a sober group.
• However, in order to develop specific treatment programs suitable controlled trials of treatments are needed, comparing specific forms of intervention to standard treatment.
• Even if you don’t find drinking makes you aggressive, you might find drinking sometimes leads to an argument.
• In rodent studies, glutamine is linked to heightened agitation and aggression during alcohol withdrawal (7).

Dangers of alcohol and substance misuse

• Various factors such as environmental, social, situational, and cultural context have distinctive consequences toward substance use and its effects on individuals (Latkin et al., 2017).
• Expressive murders are most often preceded by arguments and altercations and the level of intoxication increases the viciousness of the attack (Karlsson, 1998).
• When you drink alcohol, those inhibitions are lifted, and if you’re feeling angry, you’re more likely to express it and do so in an exaggerated way.
• If you’re experiencing violence due to a loved one’s alcohol abuse or you’re struggling with your own alcohol-related aggression, addiction treatment may be beneficial in preventing future violent behaviors or actions from occurring.
• Those expectations can also arise from what we’ve learned about alcohol from family members and peers.

The researchers declared no conflicts of interest, and the study was approved by the University of Kentucky Medical Institutional Review Board. “There are many reasons that intoxicated people are more likely to intentionally hurt others, but this research suggests pain tolerance is one possible reason,” Prof. Bushman says. Participants who consumed alcohol had a significantly higher pain threshold, meaning they could tolerate more intense electric shocks before experiencing them as painful. Moreover, these same participants were more likely to deliver stronger, more painful shocks to their opponents during the competitive task.

Staying in control

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). If you’ve ever noticed that you — or friends or family — have intense feelings or express extreme emotions or behavior while buzzed or drunk, you’re not imagining it.

The Link Between Alcohol and Aggression

People who drive while intoxicated from alcohol and are involved in deadly motor vehicle crashes are more likely to be men than women. Research shows that there are differences in how men and women process alcohol. Assessing the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption remains an active area of research that may lead to major changes in official guidelines or warning labels. Alcohol has long been considered a “social lubricant” because drinking may encourage social interaction. Having a drink while getting together with family or friends is often part of many special occasions.