The Drunken Truth

Some kids show up to college and binge drink to make themselves feel more comfortable. The assumption is that alcohol will loosen them up, even make them less nervous. Well, the assumption is right. Whether we’ve seen in it a movie or in a frat house on Prospect ave, most of us have seen someone spill the drunken truth. But why does it take a few beers or a couple of mixed drinks for people to loosen up and say how they really feel?

It turns out that alcohol interferes with the brains connections from the ventral striatum and prefrontal cortex, and as a result it interjects on the part of the brain that regulates impulsive behavior (Science Net Links ). The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for emotional responses (The Brain). So after a few drinks depending on the person’s body size, they become more impulsive, and willing to say what is ever on their mind. Along with impulsivity, Bruce Bartholow, a teacher at the University of Missouri, discovered “It’s not as though people do drunken things because they’re not aware of their behavior, but rather they seem to be less bothered by the implications or consequences of their behavior than they normally would be”.  (Body Odd). Bartholow came to this conclusion after experimenting the effects of alcohol with 67 participants. One third of the group was given alcohol, one third was sober, and one third was given a placebo drink. Every group had to participate in a computer challenge which was created for the participants to make errors. It turns out that the alcohol group was equally aware of the errors they made, but less alarmed when they made them. (Elite Daily).This proves that the saying “I didn’t know what I was doing I was drunk” is no longer a valid excuse!

In contrast to Bartholow’s research, Tim Stoddart argues that when people drink, they do not know what they are doing. He explains that the more one drinks, the more dopamine is released in the body. With an excess amount of dopamine in the brain, a person is unable to know the difference between a good decision and a bad decision. (Sober Nation).

Based off of research alone, I agree with Bartholow’s theory. He has shown the concept that people are aware of what they are doing, yet just don’t care through his computer testing. Either way, both theories suggest that the consumption of too much alcohol makes people act in uncontrollable way in which they say what is ever on their minds.

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4 thoughts on “The Drunken Truth

  1. Mackenzie Jo Pardi

    I couldn’t agree with this more! There are countless number of things I’ve done when drunk and made that an excuse as to why I did it. I honestly believe drunk words are sober thoughts because alcohol just gives us the push we might want or need to do the thing we want to sober. You care less after you’ve been drinking and feel more confident so at the given time you kind of feel like “Why the heck not?”

  2. Gregory Andrew Horowitz

    This is a terrific topic! With the majority of the class being freshman, many may not be aware of the effects alcohol has on our brains and our ability to open up more when we have a few drinks in our system. If I ever have my friends make fun of me, I can always now refer to this article and show how the phrase “I was drunk” can really be a valid excuse for my actions and my ability to not remember things. Really glad I cam across your post!

  3. Kylie Dachowski

    This reminds me of the phrase “drunk words speak sober thoughts”. I completely agree with how people are aware of what they are doing and just care less. This is definitely relevant to college students and will make people think next time they try to us “I was drunk” as an excuse for something they did.

  4. Lisa Marie Acerba

    I could not agree more! This blog was very interesting because it is so relevant to college students. I love the classic excuse “I was drunk” but it makes so much sense that you actually are aware of what you are saying but you care less about the after effect of the thought. I truly believe drunk words are indeed sober thoughts and this corresponds perfectly because drunk people truly say what is on their mind. It is actually funny watching a shy person just completely open up when they are drunk and it really is a side that no one has seen before. Great topic!

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