When drinking more than the suggested serving size, you may start to feel much more comfortable around the people you are socializing with, while becoming dizzy and somewhat non-functional. This is due to the alcohol you are consuming actually slowing down the messages passed throughout your body: and, the more you drink, the greater the effect. While this may appear to be a relaxer and a “recipe” for easily enjoying the company of others, it can also work against you. This amount of alcohol can actually cloud your judgment and force you to make decisions you would otherwise never make. Here are a few ways in which alcohol can actually cause you to make bad decisions.Driving Seems ‘Doable’
Whether you are in the mood to go and grab a cheeseburger down the street or want to visit a friend downtown, when you are drunk you may feel as if you are in a perfect condition to drive. Normally, you would feel as if driving under the influence of alcohol was “stupid,” and that no one could actually drive normally when drunk. However, alcohol can make you feel as an exception. You may feel as if you can control your driving, and that “nothing bad will happen to you.”
Those that drive under the influence of alcohol (and died) thought the same, so please, never get behind the wheel of an automobile after consuming over the legal limit.
Uncharacteristic Decisions
When you are drunk, you act differently than normal. For many, this is fine as it means they are able to let their guard down and “chill out” for an evening. However, alcohol affects certain individuals differently, and depending on the atmosphere, the location, and the people you are involved with, this could lead to very uncharacteristic decisions.
For example, intoxication could lead to committing crimes such as burglary, assault, and even rape. You may shake your head now and say you would never do these things, but when your judgment is clouded and everything seems like a “decent” idea at the time (and especially if a group of other people are involved in the crime), then you may feel the need to join in. Not everyone will feel this way when intoxicated, but some in fact will.
Social Troubles
Because you may become emotional depending on the situation or atmosphere of the place you are drinking, you may feel inclined to speak your mind more freely. This in turn can cause an array of social troubles at the location you are drinking, which could turn into verbal and/or physical confrontations and more. What is worse is these confrontations could hurt you socially after the party is over.
You know the saying, “he/she made a jerk of themselves last night?” This is exactly what people are talking about when they say this (in terms of an alcohol-fueled party). What you are saying and thinking may sound like the Gospel when you are intoxicated and you are speaking it, but it isn’t.
Do your best to ‘think’
It’s easier said than done when you are intoxicated, but if you know that you cannot think at least somewhat straight, then you need to stop drinking alcohol for the rest of the party. Drinking can be enjoyable when everyone is responsible and treats the substance with respect, and above all, ‘thinks.’ The more you stray from clear judgment, the more likely you are to make uninformed decisions, and when that happens, trouble likely follows.