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. It affects parts of your brain responsible for movement, memory, self-control, and basic functions like hunger and thirst.
Staying in control
The connection between alcohol and rage can be understood by looking at changes in the brain. When we drink the alcohol in our bloodstream reaches our brain within about five minutes. As our blood alcohol concentration (BAC) elevates personality changes can become more extreme. It’s a very important area of the brain directly impacted by alcohol use. The limbic system is responsible for our reactions to perceived threats. An example would be if you were to get cut off by another driver on a busy or chaotic highway.
- In contrast, sober persons in the same situation possess enough working memory to allot attention to provocative and non-provocative cues, thus increasing their risk of aggression above that of intoxicated persons.
- Typically, anger will lead to aggression unless something happens to resolve the situation.
- In addition, even individual differences in personality traits determine the types of emotion affected by the depletion of serotonin (Kanen et al., 2021).
- Chances are, you’ve either seen this in your friends or you’ve seen it in yourself.
- To combat aggressive behavior when drinking, individuals should consciously seek help.
- Because alcohol is a psychoactive drug, it temporarily alters your mood, perception and feelings.
Alcohol, Aggression, and Violence: Psychiatric Comorbidities
This is called alcohol myopia, and it’s another reason why people are quick to anger when they drink. In other words, whatever you’re feeling before you drink will likely be magnified once you’re drunk, and because your decision-making is impaired, you’re more likely to act out that anger. Many have unresolved feelings of anger, frustration, or rage before they reach for alcohol. Additionally, it’s common for people to self-medicate with alcohol, thinking that drinking will numb those feelings or allow them to forget – if only for one evening.
Angry Drunk Psychology: Why Does Alcohol Make Some People Abusive?
One way to have a bit less is to alternate alcoholic drinks with a soft drink or water. A 2013 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that alcohol has both acute and chronic adverse effects on learning-related plasticity across brain regions, which contributes to cognitive dysfunction and even disability. In other words, long-term anger management is borderline impossible when someone is drinking regularly or in excess. Healing can’t happen when alcohol is involved, so the anger continues. Self-awareness is important for everyone’s mental health, but it is especially necessary for people with AUD and anger issues.
Dysregulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission in AUD has been demonstrated in several brain imaging studies (Leurquin-Sterk et al., 2018; Chukwueke et al., 2021). Factors such as personality traits and comorbidities with other psychiatric disorders along with environmental stressors influence how one alcoholic rage syndrome could engage in violent behaviors. Hence, even though alcohol might be the precursor to violence for some, it certainly takes more than the beverage to increase the likelihood of someone shooting from the hip. Instigating factors normatively produce an urge to behave aggressively (e.g., provocation).
Drinking can have a relaxing or anxiety-relieving effect by mimicking the «chill-out» effects of GABA. At the same time, alcohol hinders the neurotransmitter glutamine, which has a stimulating effect. But once GABA is metabolized, it mostly converts to glutamine, causing excitement (6).
Medication-assisted treatment
In addition, even individual differences in personality traits determine the types of emotion affected by the depletion of serotonin (Kanen et al., 2021). Anger management issues may be rooted in a specific mental health disorder in some cases. On the flip side, alcohol dependence commonly leads to significant withdrawal symptoms that are often side effects of alcohol addiction.
- The fact is that both AUD and anger don’t need to be permanent, especially with quality treatment.
- Therefore, people who rely on drinking as a coping mechanism can be more inclined to make rash choices, such as having unprotected sex or getting into a car with a stranger.
- Alcohol makes it more difficult to control anger and other emotions.
- However, it is also well-documented that alcohol does not always cause aggression.
- In the study, nearly 500 participants completed a questionnaire about their inclination to consider future outcomes.
Alcohol Rage Syndrome: The Connection Between Alcohol And Rage
It’s sometimes easier for angry people to become aggressive when they’re inebriated. A slight annoyance may turn into an infuriating problem, thanks to alcohol. 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). An earlier study found that alcohol use enhanced aggression primarily among individuals who showed a heightened disposition for such behavior (Eckhardt and Crane, 2008). They were directed to engage in a task with the potential to trigger aggressive verbalizations, with those who consumed alcohol showing significantly more such behavior. Intimate partner violence is of great concern when it comes to alcohol and anger.
The master’s level clinicians and therapists at Serenity Lane dedicate their lives to offering evidence-based, compassionate, and comprehensive addiction treatment because we know anyone can recover. We don’t want you to face uncontrolled anger or alcohol use disorder alone – we want to help. However, some people are more likely than others to be angry when drinking alcohol.