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Impulsivity and rage with alcohol may also be a result of genetics. Some people have a genetic variation of the serotonin 2B receptor gene HTR2B. In the study, nearly 500 participants completed a questionnaire about their inclination to consider future outcomes. Afterward, they either drank an alcoholic beverage (orange juice mixed with alcohol) or a placebo (the same concoction but with minimal alcohol). Studies have shown that serotonin levels may begin decreasing within 30 minutes of that first drink (4). Plummeting serotonin levels hinder the brain’s ability to regulate anger and are linked to impulsive aggression (5).

• The family and friends of the alcoholic are often on the receiving end of the lies, deceit, and manipulation from the very person who claims to love them.
• Wernicke encephalopathy develops most often in people with alcohol use disorder.
• If you don’t enjoy or participate in the same types of activities or hobbies, you can still encourage them to seek out things they enjoy or find new interests.
• Follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations to manage complications and treat symptoms.
• Some of the biological factors that contribute to alcoholism may also play a role in increasing the risk of intimate partner violence.

The most effective way to cope with alcohol-induced anger is to avoid consuming too much alcohol. There is also a theory that the disinhibition that alcohol creates raises the risk of violent behavior. Heavy drinkers are more likely to engage in risky behavior, which includes being violent and acting out hostile emotions, often against a loved one. If anger is a symptom of someone’s mental health disorder, alcohol can intensify the anger to dangerous levels. When someone has both a mental health and substance use disorder, they are considered co-occurring disorders.

The Eye-Opening Science Behind Alcoholic Rage

Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours. To combat aggressive behavior when drinking, individuals should consciously seek help. Here are a few effects of aggressive behavior related to drinking. 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.

• Alcohol seems to steal away the person you know and replace him or her with an angry version.
• At first, drinking can often make someone feel giddy or euphoric.
• If you feel that you sometimes drink too much alcohol, or your drinking is causing problems, or if your family is concerned about your drinking, talk with your health care provider.

An increase in anger after trauma and the use of alcohol to cope with PTSD symptoms were stronger predictors of physically aggressive or violent acts than a lifetime diagnosis of PTSD without anger. Many people enjoy alcoholic drinks as a way of relaxing, sometimes to reduce the tension of socializing or to quiet an overactive mind. By contrast, some individuals’ alcohol consumption contributes to their anger, hostility, and even aggression. Ryan offered a more extreme example of this type of interaction.

LOVED ONES AS SAFE TARGETS

Essentially, drinking makes us less likely to withhold our reactions when we’re angry or annoyed. Alcohol factors into nearly a third of all murders in the United States. Plus, alcohol-related rage and aggression are tied to intimate partner violence, verbal and physical abuse, sexual assault, violent crimes, verbal and physical altercations, and more (1). As well as being linked to aggression (and making it more likely you could be on the receiving end), binge drinking harms your physical and mental health. One way to have a bit less is to alternate alcoholic drinks with a soft drink or water.

Interestingly, those in the control group tended to misidentify expressions as happy. Another study explored the relationship between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder alcoholic rage syndrome (PTSD), alcohol use, and violence (Blakey et al., 2018). This was a massive study of 33,215 individuals with no history of active military combat.