Can drinking actually change your personality?
Can drinking actually change your personality, Yes, but it might not be as straightforward as you think. Rachel Winograd, PhD, assistant research professor says that your personality involves how you present yourself to other people and the way you feel about yourself and the situation you're in. Dr. Winograd and a team of researchers published a study on the phenomenon of a "drunk personality," which found that people can change when they drink — but the change probably isn't as drastic as they believe. Rather, people think that they're more of a hot mess than they actually are.( .refinery29.)
George F. Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), says that because alcohol dulls the sense of restraint, it might cause you to be more carefree than you normally are.Drinking of alcohol you lose inhibitory control over your reptile brain,and so for some people, that can be manifested in an extroverted and agreeable personality, and for others, it can result in anger and the 'bad drunk,' so to speak. He says, People who are happy, with a little bit of alcohol, are probably going to be a little bit more happy. But, people who are suppressing anger and resentment and have a chip on their shoulder, when they drink, that is going to be exposed and exaggerated. ( .refinery29.)
Too many drinks can also change the brain's chemistry well after the last cocktail. "Alcoholism affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain--the area responsible for impulse control, decision making, and judgment," says Manejwala. Brain-imaging studies of alcoholics have shown that the volume of that area is reduced, as is blood flow to the region. "When someone is getting sober, it can take six months or more for the brain to heal," he says. That may explain why someone in early sobriety can have difficulty making clear decisions. "The alcoholic may think, 'This is a bad idea for others, but I am different. I can handle it.'" ( harpersbazaar.com)
"We all know that when you start to drink, inhibitions go," says internist Nicholas A. Pace, a member of the medical-scientific committee of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. And as the level of alcohol increases, the effects increase. "Three or more drinks in an hour can lead you to do things you would never do otherwise and may not remember afterward."( harpersbazaar.com)
Now psychologists have found what many already know – that men need alcohol to have a good time in social situations. While women are perfectly capable of enjoying themselves and bonding with others sober, men need alcohol to get to the same point. A review led by the University of Pittsburgh found men are more likely to smile at each other and talk more loudly in conversation after a few drinks. This is because of masculine norms, which leave men embarrassed to show too much emotion. Alcohol, handily, causes changes to the brain which make them less inhibited and able to share their bromantic feelings.The research, published in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy, concludes that men get more ‘social rewards’ from drinking alcohol than women. (dailymail.co.uk)