We’ve perhaps all blamed the drink before when it comes to our actions. We’ve woken up, with a banging headache, struggling to quite remember what we had done or said the previous evening. The beer fear kicks in, and then the memories all come flooding back.
Alcohol consumption is often used as an excuse. It does disinhibit us, leading to us to do and say things that we perhaps otherwise wouldn’t. It can help calm nerves and increase confidence due to the depressant nature of it.
At present, there is an alcohol problem throughout the world, and many news reports have shown the antisocial behaviour and damage that it can cause for those abusing the substance. It’s well documented, but should we be more accountable for our own drunken decisions?
Many rehabilitation centre professionals teach this, encouraging patients to be responsible for their actions while under an influenced state. They, along with scientists, believe that the reason for our bad behaviour or arguments when drunk are around misinterpretation. Not understanding social situations and losing a sense of empathy.
An experiment was recently undertaken in which participants were given shots of vodka, with their moral decisions and empathy then measured. What the experiment found was that the higher the dose of vodka, the more inappropriately people were to emotional displays which were then displayed, feeling positively about sad faces and negatively about happy ones.
The study also examined morality, in which they were questioned about what they would do in moral dilemmas. However, the levels of alcohol didn’t have an effect on how they judged moral decisions and therefore you are still the same person.
What that essentially means is that there is no excuse for bad behaviour when drunk, and immoral behaviours due to alcohol can’t be blamed.
A drunken you, whether you’ve had one, two, three or more drinks has the same moral compass. That doesn’t change, and you should be therefore responsible for those actions, not hide away behind the extra glass of wine or pint of beer you’d drank.
Of course, if you are behaving badly when under the influence of alcohol, or any substance, then that is problematic, and getting help with abuse and addiction is important, as ultimately your behaviour is only affecting your own relationships and hurting those around you, not to mention being incredibly bad for your physical and mental health.
The moral of the story? Take ownership of your actions and get the help you need…
