midnight rain

I like to think that as well, even though there's a point of partiality holding me back since most people that know me personally classify me as a nice and selfless drunk. I'm not the kind to start fights or take advantage of women, and this would encourage that train of thought in my mind.


But this is of course where it falls upon science to prove whether alcohol exposes us for our biological selves? How can we be sure if we don't have an untainted case example to compare against? We don't, except pure speculation. Everyone is exposed to the moralities and normalities of society on some level, so it's hard to extract what's 'natural' from what's been influenced by the environment.

midnight rain

That sounds to me like conforming to social norms. If you have a perpetual fear of being judged, you will do your best to learn what is considered socially acceptable, and try to follow that line of acceptability pretty rigorously to avoid people having a negative feeling about you. Only intoxication let's down that guard you've used to integrate yourself into society.

Urban Hat€monger ?

I hope not because I fall asleep when I'm drunk.

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RVCA

Perhaps a little bit, but I think the most important thing to keep in mind about inebriation is that it lowers inhibitions. So yes, while someone might say something they wouldn't have said sober, a drunk person is also liable to do completely idiotic things they wouldn't have done sober, such as throwing bikes into the local canal. Does this mean that person harbors a secret desire to throw all bikes into canals while sober? Likely not. Furthermore, I've known blackout drunk people to flat-out lie and speak with all the conviction they could muster. No, I do not think alcohol is a truth serum. In fact, I take things that are said and done under the influence with a bigger grain of salt than I would in sober circumstances.

wiggums

In my experience it just makes me stupid. I find no appeal in it as I don't have much control over what I do, and I don't think it is my true self.

It's me, but with a big chunk of my brain gone.

You can obviously imagine that I don't drink much.

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Trollheart

I agree with Manky. There's no reason why you would suddenly say something drunk which you would never say sobre, unless there's some deep-seated and hidden desire to have said it at some point. So, someone who has fancied a girl, lets say, for months but never plucked up the courage might be emboldened (or to use Burning Down's favourite phrase, embiggened!) to say what's in their heart (or their pants, more likely!) and someone who's resented another person will be more likely to tell them to their face when drunk.

The thing is, I feel, we all have these impulses but our brains, when clear of alcohol, tell us not to be so stupid; you can't say that. It puts forward various reasons, such as you'll get your teeth knocked out or she'll laugh at you, or what will other people say? Alcohol lulls your brain to sleep, shows it some dirty pictures and keeps it occupied while you are then free to express yourself in a way you would never do otherwise.

But those feelings are there. They have to be. Even in the most basic root level, if you were to for instance make a play for a girl you've never even seen before, or take offence to someone's tone, the genetic memory is at work there, and your caveman self is waking up and climbing out his cave and he does NOT like to be disturbed, and is not shy about showing it!

Having said all this, I have been drunk precisely twice in my life. I can thankfully say both times I was what would be described as "a happy drunk", though these days if I drink too much I just fall asleep. I have certainly noticed the behaviour of others when drunk though, and I think that supports the arguement,

Hey! Did you spill my pint??!!!

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Bane of your existence

No.
At least, the answer isn't quite so black and white.
Does alcohol decrease inhibitions? Sure. Does that mean we sometimes think or do things that we normally wouldn't when we're drunk? Yes.
But we don't just think and do the things we "really" want to when we're drunk. In other words, being drunk changes your personality as well. So, the things we're often uninhibited in doing while we're drunk are often things we wouldn't even find fun or cool sober.
It seems like the "real" us when we tell someone off that we've secretly hated for a while. But it's not the "real" us when we say we love strangers or make any of the plethora of bad decisions I know I've made drunk.
Does being drunk expose someone for who they really are? Not really, it just shows what they act like when they're drunk.

Janszoon

^This. To use a small personal example, I have an extremely short attention span when I'm drunk and get pretty much no enjoyment out of movies as a result. But I don't think that's "the real me". The real me loves movies and has no problem whatsoever stilling still and being absorbed in one.

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midnight rain

I see what you're saying on one hand, but then again I can't relate cause I've never done anything as stupid and selfish as throwing bikes in a canal while drunk. But with something like that you have to explore why someone would do that, even if they were drunk?

I would guess it evokes some statement of freedom and the thrill of doing something you're not supposed to be doing, while ignoring society's teaching of do unto others..., not to mention cause and effect. Hard to say how much that defines a person though, and why they do stupid acts like that and other people don't.

Plankton

Alcohol magnifies ones personality. So, if you're an ******* when your sober, you're a bigger ******* when you're drunk.

I've studied this theory, and even after many, many, many, many, many, many years, it still holds up.

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