Legacy Healing Center Blog

Alcohol and Anger

Alcohol consumption will often make individuals act in ways they would never imagine sober, but why does alcohol make you angry? While many people believe that their alcohol use makes them a more enjoyable, likable person, the reality is that alcohol dramatically changes your personality and your ability to treat others respectfully. If you look at the behaviors of individuals in a bar or a party, it is common to see two people who are drinking end up in a physical altercation or an aggressive verbal argument. This anger often leads to serious consequences, and the longer your drinking progresses, the more at risk you are for making life-altering decisions that will negatively impact your day-to-day life. Keep reading to find reasons why alcohol makes you angry and what can be done to combat excessive drinking.

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How Alcohol Contributes to Feelings of Anger

So why does alcohol make you angry? You may start to see the negative impacts of alcohol on your behavior but may wonder how alcohol contributes to your angry and aggressive behavior. Alcohol impacts your ability to think clearly and often clouds your judgment. When you can normally process social cues, your perception of social situations becomes easily confused and misconstrued. This process often results in reacting to certain situations differently than you would if you were sober such as responding out of anger when someone says something you disagree with or matching the aggressive nature of someone else when you wouldn’t normally do so.

Alcohol works to reduce your inhibitions by affecting your brain’s ability to feel calm and relaxed. What is happening, in all actuality, is that your brain is suppressing information that is coming in, and your ability to interpret interactions and social cues becomes jaded. This makes it easier for you to feel like you need to react in anger to protect yourself or quickly misread the situation around you.

Alcohol and Angry or Violent Encounters

While some people may consume alcohol and not act out in aggression, there are times where alcohol is a compounding factor for the heightened aggression due to the lowered inhibitions that it produces within your brain. Alcohol is linked to many violent and aggressive encounters and crimes, and often, the perpetrator has little to no history of violence unless they are under the influence of alcohol.

In many domestic violence crimes, alcohol has been a leading factor in the violence in the home. While this makes no excuse for the perpetrators’ actions, it serves as a caution for those at risk to be mindful of alcohol consumption in the home. If you know of the other person becoming violent when drinking, it is best to have a safe exit plan to ensure your safety. For those who find themselves acting out in unexplained anger while under the influence, taking the time to participate in an alcohol rehab program will help you gain perspective and control of your drinking behaviors.

How to Get Help for Alcohol Abuse

If your alcohol use has changed your behavior for the worse and you notice that your actions are becoming problematic or aggressive, it is probably time to invest in attending an alcohol rehab program to learn why does alcohol make you angry. Alcohol addiction is often a result of unresolved emotional pain or anger that you have been suppressing with alcohol over the years. An effective alcohol rehab program will help you uncover the root causes of your addiction and teach you new coping strategies that will help you manage your anger effectively while remaining sober. Life will still have challenging times even when sober; the difference will be knowing how to process the emotions that arise in tough times through methods of healthy emotional regulation and utilizing skills for relapse prevention.

If you want to learn more about how you can get help for your alcohol use to prevent further angry outbursts by learning why does alcohol make you angry, contact Legacy Healing Center at 888.534.2295 today to speak with one of our expert staff.