Alcohol and Behaviour
01/02/2010
Alcohol has big impact on some people’s behaviour. It is a drug which affects most people to some extent but will affect everyone in a different way.
In some cases, alcohol will make people more upbeat and talkative but other people will become more argumentative or depressed. Because alcohol is a drug it can affect people’s judgement, reasoning and reaction times.
Drinking also makes some people feel less inhibited and they may engage in riskier behaviour than they normally would and they could end up putting themselves in a dangerous situation. Some people also become less sexually inhibited when they’re drunk. This isn’t always a problem but if an individual is not in control of their actions they may go on to do something which they regret and later feel very embarrassed about. They may also pay less attention to safe sex.
Because of the effect that alcohol has on people, those who have been drinking are more likely to have an accident or fight than those that haven’t, even if it isn’t their fault. Alcohol is regularly involved in incidents such as violence, fights, falls, car accidents, accidents at home, drownings and fires.
Everyone should be aware of how alcohol affects their behaviour so that as far as possible they can avoid engaging in behaviours they regret when drinking and avoid accidents which have long-term consequences. This can be through limiting their drinking and making sure other people also look out for them.
If someone is an alcoholic or dependent on alcohol, those close to them will often notice a change in their behaviour, besides them being drunk. They also may notice mood swings, secrecy, anger and emotion.
People may change their habits when they’re regularly drinking heavily. For example, it’s common for people to lose enthusiasm for things they were previously interested in and lose touch with friends. People sometimes also stop performing well at work or perhaps start being late/absent more often due to drinking.
