Before I started drinking, I had the misconception that drunk people literally have no control over their actions. Then, in university, I got drunk somewhat frequently and also helped take of other drunk people and my view changed.

There are things I might do drunk that I wouldn’t do sober, same thing when I’m stoned. But I wouldn’t cross the line into serious crimes like drunk driving because, even with inhibitions lowered, I am still able to think through the consequences. Being drunk tends to make people a little more impulsive and less concerned about consequences but not to the point of doing things they know are morally wrong or highly illegal, unless they’re already willing to do those things sober. Are there some people who alcohol does affect to that point? Maybe. But, like you said, the responsible thing for those people to do is not drink. Most people wouldn’t drink if doing so took a gamble that they’ll do something highly illegal or immoral that they aren’t willing to do sober

In my hometown, there was a lot of drunk violence, which gave me the misconception of drunk people having no control over their actions. My university friends informed me that violent drunks are already violent people to begin with

it’s crazy how many people are confidently answering “you never lose control from alcohol” when they’ve obviously never been blackout drunk.

like, sure, there’s definitely a varying degree of effects to some point but when you black out (drink so much that you don’t remember it) you lose control of your actions. when you black out you do things that you would never do sober.

most people don’t black out more than a few times in their life because it happens, they go “wow that was awful I sure don’t want to do that again” and then don’t. they are the lucky ones. then you have people like me (alcoholics) who want to be anything but themselves and want to feel anything but what they’re feeling so desperately that it happens a lot.

no it’s not just “lowered inhibitions so you do what you want to do sober but stop yourself from doing,” your body goes into autopilot. it’s more like sleepwalking than staying up so late that you start feeling loopy once it hits that point. for an example, the first time I ever blacked out I tried to convince my mom that my dugout (block of wood for holding weed and pipe) would open the hotel room door… that’s not “lowered inhibitions” that’s a brain that’s not working

now I’m a little annoyed by the amount of confidently incorrect in this thread but on a serious note I’m glad so many of y’all don’t get it. alcoholism is a terrible affliction that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. it’s a bad time, through and through.

i think a part of why there are so many wrong answers though is because of the word “responsible.” you’re responsible for what you do while blackout drunk because you are the one who got blackout drunk. nobody else poured the booze down your throat for you. so, while what you do in that state is out of your control, you are entirely responsible for it.

“A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts”

When drunk most people just do things that they wish they could when sober. That’s the real danger. Or as in Latin: In vino veritas

I have a particularly weird view on this so I don’t know how helpful it will be, but I share it when people discuss alcohol.

You, as a person, are basically an imaginary construct given meaning by consistency. Your friends trust you because you consistently behave in a way that says they can trust you. The pattern of behaviours is you because the physical parts swap out all the time. When you drink, you distort yourself a little, because it distorts the behaviour. Anyone who says it doesn’t is delusional. For some people, the distortion is minor. For others, it distorts them a great deal. The drunk you is always so distorted as to be essentially a different person, but one for whom you have total responsibility, because you ‘gave them the keys’ as it were. You are letting the funhouse mirror version of yourself take control of your body so you can be amused by the distortions. Everybody’s mirror is different, but they are all distorted. How much do you trust someone who is much like you, but distorted?

The drunker I get, the less thinking I do for before acting. Still kinda in control but more easily swayed by myself to do whatever tf.

To answer both questions, it really depends how drunk you are. To the extreme of black out, what is the experience like? You wake up somewhere hungover or still a bit drunk not knowing how you got there and not able to remember anything past a certain moment. How much control did you have? Not much. In that state any flying by emotion or idea can really take charge regardless of how bad it is. Most don’t remember doing or saying any of the things they did or said.

Lol, buncha normies up in this thread.

Being drunk can be, and often is, a lot of fun. There’s a reason why it’s probably one of the oldest and most frequently used mind alterants in history.

That said, getting drunk by itself is a pretty neutral, if not unpleasant, experience. What it does do is make everything else you’re doing more enjoyable. The music is hitting harder, the person you’re talking to is more attractive, YOU’RE more attractive, the joke you told is funnier, etc. It amplifies all the emotions, and since it also reduces anxiety, often the whole of those emotions experiences are positive.

Creativity flows, free assocation is strong, your mood is expansive and gregarious.

As for how much control you have, it’s like a sliding scale. At the light end, you’re still pretty much in complete control of your facilities, though you may do things because your mood is better. As one becomes drunker a multitude of things happen that undermine one’s self-control until there is very little or none left and people run on a kind of autopilot that is a combination of basic human instincts and the behavioral patterns developed over their lifetime.

There is a type of mental fog that gets stronger as the scale moves farther into drunkeness. This fog begins to inhibit higher order thinking until you can’t make any decisions besides satisfying the most immediate physical needs, or deep seated psychological drives.

Anyway, it’s a lot of fun until it isn’t.

Impairment is gradual but you also progressively loose the ability to judge your degree of impairment

Alcohol removes inhibitions. You still make decisions, though. What it tends to do is bring out who you really are. “In vino, veritas” as they say.

I’m a simple man. Mostly when drunk I want to hug dogs and listen to Guided by Voices. I don’t know if this helps.

IDK if it’s just because I am autistic and have adhd but I never felt like it dropped mg inhibitions as is commonly described. I feel, mentally, exactly the same as when I am sober. It’s my body that ends up feeling different, and it’s only pleasant for a little while before I feel sick as fuck and get the spins (feeling like you’re spinning around even when you’re laying down). The physical numbness is kinda nice tho.

Tipsy is nice. It’s warm and my brain stops screaming. Drunk is unpleasant. Disgustingly hot not warm. Sick.

I try to not drink often though, at most once a month. Addiction runs in the family.

Drinking is about experience. Usually people overdo it a few times when young and from that point on know how drunk on their way to too much they are.

Personally I have gotten drunk to the point of vomiting and needing to sleep it off. Never more than that, so I can’t report on blackout drunk.

But I’m personally of the impression that drunk people that get aggressive or do irresponsible shit usually want to do this anyways and alcohol is just a way to excuse for them acting that out. The reduced inhibition and the social stigma is a good combination to dare and have cover because you are a drunk.

As to why people want to act that out, I’m assuming they have unresolved issues that come out that way. And those issues are probably hard to control. So these people should probably not drink and get therapy instead.

Least, there is a factor of mild drinking that helps talk about things. So there is a factor of alcohol that can help with certain issues like social anxiety or daring to talk to somebody about a long held problem. So its a mixed bag.

Alcohol is not healthy, no amount is. But it helps to cope with reality, so with care and the right measure it can be a plus in life.

I’ve only been properly drunk once. For myself, at no point did I feel out of control, and my reasoning ability still seemed perfectly intact.

It was interesting to observe the effects of the drunkenness on my balance and ever increasing ‘lag’ type feeling, and I did notice I was a bit less inhibited, though I was around friends I already was quite comfortable with so I wasn’t that inhibited to begin with, but even still I did catch myself saying something I might’ve held back or said in a less direct way. At that point I was satisfied with the experiment and didn’t drink any more that night.

The experience did make me wonder how other people could convince themselves to drive while drunk, as even while I was wobbling to the bathroom, I was fully aware that I was totally incapable of safely driving.

I also had no issues recalling that night, so I didn’t get drunk enough to get ‘blackout’ drunk.

It’s completely lame as f*** and nothing at all like how its hyped up to be.

Like say, drunk driving: Is the act of deciding to drive drunk merely the act of drinking a lot plus a roll of the dice to see if you end up making a decision you wouldn’t have made sober?

It’s an act of poor planning in regards to safety. That’s what the crime or sin is in this case. Don’t bring your car with you if you’re going to drink and don’t drink if you bought your car with you.

Because being drunk fucks up your reaction speeds it’s not about making poor decisions while driving but rather not being able to react in time while driving and also misjudging how much force to apply when steering and pedalling and braking.

So some common outcomes of drunk driving are:

• drive into a tree because failed to turn enough on a curving road.
• drive into the back of another vehicle because you pedal too hard or brake too little
• drive into another vehicle perpendicular to yourself because didn’t check well enough due to impaired perception, impatience.
• also can ruin judgement of distances which will increase likelihood of all of the following occuring.