Let Little Creek Recovery Center guide you down the right path to recovery, personal growth, and long-term sobriety. This research was supported by a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health grant (R01 AA17603) to the first author. The NIAAA and NIH had no further role in study design, in the collection, alcohol depression and anger analysis and interpretation of the data; in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. The views herein do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIAAA or the NIH. The sensitivity analysis was performed using two effects from the Bácskai39 study and one effect from the Schonwetter33 study.

Certain behavioral and mental health disorders can make anger management an even tougher challenge. Those with bipolar disorder and PTSD have less control over their reactions and mood regulation, with alcohol further impeding these abilities. In a study published in Science Daily, researchers found that people who are shortsighted are less likely to think about the consequences of their actions. Therefore, people who tend to live in the now are more likely to make snap decisions when they’re intoxicated. This doesn’t always result in anger and aggression, but if a person is predisposed to these traits, then the inhibition-lowering tendencies of alcohol can cause them to more readily express it and act on it.

facts about Americans and alcohol as ‘Dry January’ begins

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand Americans’ experiences with alcohol and how they have changed over time. Survey data comes from Gallup and the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future Survey. Data on Americans’ drinking habits comes from the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), and alcohol sales data is from the U.S. Alcohol can seem like a great way to relieve stress until it becomes a problem. And people who are using alcohol as a means of coping with uncomfortable emotions, especially anger, are likely to find themselves with an increase of problems rather than relief.

These programs organize your treatment session based on your schedule. The goal of outpatient treatment is to provide therapy, education, and support in a flexible environment. If you are close to someone who experiences alcohol-induced anger, it’s important to get help and support.

Why does alcohol make some people angry?

In fact, letting go of the acknowledging and dealing with anger is a crucial aspect of the Twelve Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous. The program requires that participants take a moral inventory of themselves, and attempt to overcome character defects. These are the issues that we jump into in this deep dive into the link between anger and alcoholism. The good news is, you can find help for both your anger and your alcoholism. “Gathering your power before you respond to anger takes awareness and restraint. Admittedly, it’s hard to surrender the need to be right in favor of love and compromise.

Alcohol dependence and significant alcohol involvement not reaching the level of dependence are often comorbid with a variety of anger-related consequences including interpersonal violence and conflict (Chermack et al., 2010). Research has strongly supported the inclusion of efficacious interventions to address this serious problem area as a part of alcohol dependence treatment (Chermack et al., 2008; Rothman et al., 2008). We considered anger measures and indices of AA involvement as potential candidates in this regard. AM focused on the development of relaxation and cognitive coping skills for anger regulation (see Table 1 for outline of AM).

Anger and Alcohol: What You Need To Know

Potential modest treatment responses among clients with little or no exposure to treatment may have obscured positive effects for those receiving all or nearly all of the intervention. The Adamson, et al. (2009) review suggests that self-confidence in avoiding relapse – and during-treatment improvements in self-confidence – is a consistent predictor of treatment outcomes (Adamson et al., 2009). The literature does not, however, describe whether specific areas of self-confidence, such as confidence specifically related to coping with anger and related emotions, predict outcomes. There are many telltale signs that can point to a trend of associating anger and alcohol.

One study supporting this finding enlisted 245 men with a history of heavy episodic alcohol use (Berke et al., 2020). They completed surveys assessing their endorsement of traditional masculine norms, use of thought suppression, and both trait and alcohol-related aggression. It was found that thought suppression mediated the association between the toughness masculine norm and alcohol-related aggression. Extreme emotions that are usually hidden from others, like anger and sadness, may be more noticeable when you drink because you’re less able to conceal and manage them. When they come out, others notice them because they’re not a part of the everyday social experience. Underage drinking among U.S. teens has declined over the last 20 years, according to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey.