Personality Trait Reveals Who Becomes a Mean Drunk

I'm a happy, dance on the table, let's go skinny-dipping drunk, and I've often wondered what turns some people mean, when they drink.
Are we pre-disposed to be an aggressive drunk, a happy drunk, a melancholy drunk?

Found this interesting:

Personality Trait Reveals Who Becomes a Mean Drunk

Drinking can make some people more aggressive, and now researchers have found a particular personality trait — a focus on the present, with little regard of consequences — that appears to make someone under the influence more likely to become mean.

"People who focus on the here and now, without thinking about the impact on the future, are more aggressive than others when they are sober, but the effect is magnified greatly when they're drunk," said lead study researcher Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University.

"If you carefully consider the consequences of your actions, it is unlikely getting drunk is going to make you any more aggressive than you usually are," Bushman added in a statement.

Alcohol is believed to have a myopic effect, causing drinkers to focus on the most important aspects of a situation while ignoring the more peripheral features. For people prone to concentrate on the here-and-now rather than on consequences, alcohol-induced myopia can exaggerate this tendency, Bushman and colleagues wrote in a study published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

The link between alcohol and aggressiveness was already clear: Alcohol was a factor in up to 37 percent of violent crimes committed between 1997 and 2008, according to the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics.

To test how personality factored in, the research team began by assessing how focused nearly 500 social drinkers were on the present, using an assessment called the Consideration of Future Consequences scale. [10 Things You Didn't Know about the Brain]

Then they gave some participants a drink consisting of five parts orange juice to one part strong alcohol (190 proof). Others got a glass of juice mixed with a small amount of alcohol and with alcohol sprayed onto it to give the impression of a stronger drink. All the volunteers thought they were consuming the equivalent of three or four mixed drinks.

Afterward, both groups participated in what they were told was a computer-based, speed reaction competition against an anonymous, same-sex opponent. After each trial, the winner would deliver an electrical shock to the loser, with 34 trials in all.

In reality, there was no opponent. Researchers had the participants "lose" half the time, receiving shocks of increasing intensity and length over the course of the 34 trials. (The shocks were calibrated so no participant received anything that exceeded his or her pain threshold.) The researchers observed to see who would retaliate.

The drunken participants who focused on the present shocked their imaginary opponents longer and harder than those with similar impulsive personalities who drank the placebo. Meanwhile, drunkenness had little effect for future-focused participants.

http://www.livescience.com/17610-alcohol-aggression-personality.html

Then there's this:

What Type of Drunk Am I?

Three coworkers head to a bar after a long day. They decide to go shot-for-shot, all of the same poison, and it gets a bit out of hand. An hour later, one coworker is foaming at the mouth, looking to fight any mammal in sight; another is crying uncontrollably and stomping on their jacket; the third is delighted by the other two, giddily recording the whole thing. Uh… what’s going on here? Research on the effects of alcohol yields some clues: It may be possible to predict how people will behave when they’re drunk way before the bar fight breaks out .

Freedom of Slurred Speech — The Need-to-Know

Alcohol is a disinhibitor, meaning it suppresses inhibitory neurotransmitters in our brain, leaving us feeling more impulsive, less anxious, and less restricted (and sometimes broke). Research suggests alcohol affects people’s behavior in different ways depending on their personalities and genetic makeup. And according to a recent study on alcohol and aggression, alcohol simply brings out qualities we already have . (Though how often do we hear someone say, “The drunk me, that’s the real me?”) (Also Check Out: 60 Healthier Drinks for Boozing) In other words, it might be possible to predict how people will act under the influence of alcohol based on their sober personalities. Here are a few types that may sound familiar:


The Manhattan

The Aggressive Drunk. People— especially men— who are prone to anger or aggression while sober are more likely to act aggressive when they’re drunk . (Shocker, we know.) Researchers describe these folks as impulsive and short-sighted. And forget breathalyzers— a blood test might reveal who’s likely to pick a fight with the coat rack. There’s evidence that, in males and females, certain genes predict the ability to control anger, which affects sober and drunk behavior .

Sea Breeze

The Calm Drunk. One study suggests those who keep it cool stay that way when drinking, even after someone provokes them . People who are forward-thinking and consider the consequences of their actions when sober are less likely to get out of hand when they drink. (“He’s a jerk, just walk away…”)

Whiskey Sour

The Stressed Drunk. When stressed, people sometimes drink to unwind. (“A toast to this job we hate!”) But one study found drinking can actually prolong stress, depending on how soon after a stressful event someone drinks. Next time the boss offers to buy, consider declining.

Kamikaze

The Giddy Drunk. In addition to personality traits, physiological traits also influence drunk behavior. Research suggests people with a high tolerance and a history of alcoholism need more drinks to feel the buzz, and these heavy drinkers are usually more sensitive to the euphoric effects of alcohol . So every beer’s another step on the way to happiness— that is, until the next morning…

Tequila Sunset

The Drowsy Drunk. Take me drunk, I’m home. Unlike heavy drinkers, people who rarely have more than a sip of Chardonnay tend to feel sedate when they drink . Prepare to be carrying these folks into a cab after a night out.

Scrappy Hour — Your Action Plan

The characteristics that come out after a few rounds at the bar may be hidden at work or in other social situations, since alcohol can make people act without worrying about consequences. Luckily, there are ways to avoid getting into a fight or drowning in a river of tears.

Steer clear of situations that tend to exacerbate drunk behavior. In the case of aggression, certain situations (like not-so-happy hour) can make people more likely to get violent.
Observe others carefully, since people can be drunk even when they seem sober. (Hint: The guy hugging the toilet all night is not sober. Yet.)
Know how much is too much. “Heavy drinking” means more than four drinks per day for guys and more than three for women.
It might be a good idea not to drink at all when feeling angry, sad, or depressed.
And if you’ve already got all the safety stuff covered, just make sure you can tell everybody what they were up to the night before.
http://greatist.com/happiness/what-type-drunk-am-i

Interesting.  I've always found that people who are controlling and manipulative when sober become very angry controlling and manipulative when drunk and express it a lot more.

Yes I do think ones "true self" emerges.

I never drink when I'm angry or sad.

hmmm...theres more to it than that though

if I get pissed up on almost anything I first get silly....madcap prankster
then later quietly slide under the table

BUT....if I get pissed on vodka it turn into something else entirely...violent agressive and extremely unpredictable...

neddless to say I avoid the stuff like the plague.....

It's funny how that happens.  My OH, a Scot, has to limit his whiskey, it makes him drunk faster and he gets really pissed off with everyone.  With any other drink he becomes very sentimental.

I am pretty sure I read somewhere that your mood, depending upon your alcohol beverage, is all a myth, that alcohol is alcohol.

sassy wrote:It's funny how that happens.  My OH, a Scot, has to limit his whiskey, it makes him drunk faster and he gets really pissed off with everyone.  With any other drink he becomes very sentimental.

My cherished other half was Canadian-Indian and loved being the life of the party when he was sober; toss in some alcohol and he became the most intimidating human with a HUGE CHIP on his shoulder and would want to 'ARM WRESTLE' the entire group of people---so he was self-aware and kept his liquid intake to minimum of 2 beers - ONLY   Not a fighter, just wanted to ARM WRESTLE, like that was the #1 thing that would make his evening.

I knew people had mentioned that my laughter ricochet off of the walls when I was drinking!  I really had no idea until a friends bridal party had video taped proof and all of that LMAO sound you could hear over the: jute box, the party people, the general noise of the club --- was me   That was quite a few years back...but I'm the joke teller and love watching people.

I get very noisy to, and want to dance!   Some hope these days lol

sassy wrote:I get very noisy to, and want to dance!   Some hope these days lol

Oh, hell yes; most of us wives would be out on the dance floor...gets pretty irksome waiting for our men folk to get up so we'd just go 'cut the rug' on our own --- except for that one special sloooooow dance.  Then it was go grab the ole' man and hold him up while we sang in his ear!  LOL

LOL, I'm sure he enjoyed that!

Definitely a Kamikaze here

A kamikaze mixed with a sea breeze here. Changing direction after many hours and falling down...nose-diving.....

Know what I don't get? People who say "Oh I'll have the one!"
One?? WTF?
That's the first little buzz then you get the dreaded flavour.

One never cuts it does it.  Have to say, never fallen over, never had a hangover (even on the night some time ago I had 12 rum and cokes lol)

Wonder what title they have for someone who's an arsehole when sober and becomes more of an arehole when drunk?

Now they're selling ways to HIDE your can of beer > > >


My first taste of an alcoholic beverage was my grandpa's 'HOME BREW'...YUCK  But when I finally got to try a can of COORS, that first taste was so AWESOME but after that it's rather --- bland and I don't care for beer period.  So I'd keep those little 'pup' cans on hand for me 8oz original COORS >>>
  and if you added ½ tomato juice --- made a SUPERB DRINK

With tomato juice?   That's a new one on me.  Like lime with lager.