Support with Drinking

What is the connection between drinking and violent behavior?

When some people drink, they may become aggressive or abusive. This is how that happens and what you can do to avoid it.
What is the connection between drinking and violent behaviour?
What is the connection between drinking and violent behaviour?

Alcohol acts on brain centres that are involved in aggression and lowers inhibitions that may ordinarily keep aggressive impulses in check (1, 2). As a result, when some people drink excessively, they may become abusive or violent towards other people, get into physical fights or drive aggressively.

An association between some violent behaviour and excessive drinking has been shown, both for the aggressor and for victims (3). Experts agree that violence is a product of many factors – mental health, social acceptance of aggressive and violent behaviour, and particular situations and contexts (2, 4-7). After all, violence occurs in the absence of drinking and most people who drink don’t become violent.

If you find that your behaviour is changing as you drink and you’re becoming aggressive in the way you respond and act, the best thing to do is stop drinking. And in the future, you should reconsider when and how much you drink. You may also benefit from consulting with a health professional.

On the other hand, if drinking makes you feel unsafe or you’re concerned because of someone else’s drinking, it’s best to remove yourself from a potentially dangerous situation and get help from someone you trust – support and shelter are available.

A & D referral services
https://adaddictionservices.com/
References
  1. Heinz, A.J., et al., Cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol-related aggression. Nat Rev Neurosci, 2011. 12(7): p. 400-13.
  2. Källmén, H. and R. Gustafson, Alcohol and disinhibition. Eur Addict Res, 1998. 4(4): p. 150-62.
  3. Murdoch, D., R.O. Pihl, and D. Ross, Alcohol and crimes of violence: present issues. Int J Addict, 1990. 25(9): p. 1065-81.
  4. Cascardi, M., M. Chesin, and M. Kammen, Personality correlates of intimate partner violence subtypes: A latent class analysis. Aggress Behav, 2018. 44(4): p. 348-361.
  5. National Academies of Sciences, E., et al., The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health, in Addressing the Social and Cultural Norms That Underlie the Acceptance of Violence: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. 2018, National Academies Press (US). Copyright 2018 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.: Washington (DC).
  6. Vanderende, K.E., et al., Community-level correlates of intimate partner violence against women globally: a systematic review. Soc Sci Med, 2012. 75(7): p. 1143-55.
  7. Cherpitel, C.J., et al., A multi-level analysis of emergency department data on drinking patterns, alcohol policy, and cause of injury in 28 countries. . Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 2018. 192: p. 172-128.

Are you concerned about the effects of drinking?

Whether it's about yourself or someone else, use our drinking self-assessment to understand the risk.

If you or someone you know is drinking problematically, our list of support networks is a good place to start.

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