“That’s the problem with drinking, I thought, as I poured myself a drink. If something bad happens you drink in an attempt to forget; if something good happens you drink in order to celebrate; and if nothing happens you drink to make something happen.” – Charles Bukowski
Does alcohol cause people to behave more aggressively?
Researchers have not come to a conclusive answer on that. To study the relationship between alcohol and aggression, researchers have a control group (people who do not consume alcohol in the experiment) and the experimental group (the people who drink alcohol in the experiment) and monitor the level of shock they give to the person on the other side of the wall.
The results have shown that people in the experimental group (the ones that drank) on average do give more intense shocks to the person than those who were in the control group (remained sober).
However, this was only found when that person on the other side provoked or annoyed them. When the person did not provoke or annoy the person drinking, they did not give any more intense shock than did the control group.
To further complicate the relationship, it was also shown that alcohol actually makes certain people less aggressive. So individual personality traits do matter. It was found in the “research [that a] stronger relationship between alcohol consumption and aggression in subjects with certain traits, including antisocial personality, alcohol dependency, impaired cognitive functions, previous aggressive episodes and low levels of the brain chemical serotonin in the central nervous system (CNS) (Dougherty et al. 1999; Hoaken and Pihl 2000; Pihl et al. 1995; Virkkunen et al. 1995)”
Due to there being more variations in the relationship between alcohol and aggression, C. Robert Cloninger a psychiatrist, proposed that there are two types of alcoholics:
Type I: Anxious Type – these alcoholics drink in order to reduce their anxiety and are not characterized by the normal portrayal of alcoholism. More likely drink alone or have the desire to drink alone.
Type II: Impulsive Type – these alcoholics drink in order to ‘pleasure seek’ and are characterized by being impulsive, difficulty in relationships and having antisocial personality traits such as being hostile and aggressive. Therefore, the relationship between aggression and violence is more direct with Type II alcoholics.
In fact, a genetic predisposition has been found, this genetic predisposition must be for both alcoholism and violence but it is found in Type II alcoholics. (Bergman and Brismar, 1994).
One of the main biological differences in Type II alcoholics is their lack of serotonin, and serotonin has been proposed to be linked to impulse control, so the lack of serotonin within the brain may account for the increase in aggressive behavior which may be a by-product to poor impulse control. (Virkkunen et al. 1995).
Even in childhood, a study conducted looked at children of alcoholics and found these children had low concentrations of serotonin in their blood and were more likely to receive high ratings for behavioral aggression. (Twitchell et al. 2000).
Overall, the research on the biological differences in individuals and their consequential response to alcohol in terms of aggression is in its preliminary stage. What is important is to ensure that alcoholism is addressed, even if it may not be manifesting in the signs/symptoms that are more commercialized such as more of the behavior that is typical of Type II alcoholics.
