By seeking recovery for problems with alcohol and anger, you can work toward a more positive life. Now that we know what alcoholic rage syndrome is, can we do anything about it? In other words, can we make our inner “Sammy” or “Jimmy” (or whatever name your boozy alter-ego might have) stay away for good?
Break the Cycle of Alcohol and Anger
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcoholic rage syndrome, it is important to seek help. Cutting back on alcohol or taking a break from it can improve relationships, sleep, heart and liver health, and overall well-being. Speaking openly https://shsye.org/guilt-and-shame-in-recovery-heal-and-move-forward/ with the alcoholic about how their actions affect others can be a good first step. However, safety should be a priority, and if the situation becomes violent, it may be necessary to remove yourself from the environment.
Why Am I an Angry Drunk?
Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), for example, aims to help patients improve their lives by balancing the urge to avoid pain with accepting life’s unavoidable pains. Motivational interviewing is another form of therapy that increases an individual’s engagement with recovery efforts and reduces substance use. It helps individuals move from contemplating change to actively working towards it. Counselling sessions can be found in rehabs, hospitals, jails, schools, and community health centres.
Treatment options for alcoholic rage syndrome include therapy, counseling, and addressing underlying alcohol abuse

These include mobile tools like A-CHESS, which is designed to prevent a return to drinking, and self-guided web-based programs like CBT4CBT, which teaches skills to reduce drinking. CheckUp & Choices is another digital self-help program that guides individuals in deciding whether to change their drinking habits and developing the necessary skills. The affected individual may prioritize drinking over their relationships and continue drinking even when it causes issues with their loved ones. This can lead to conflict, emotional abuse, and manipulation within their social circle. Are you ready to face the fact that you go alcoholic rage syndrome into an alcoholic rage that can become physically violent? If you’re self-aware enough to know you get angry when you drink, you may want to know why this happens.
The data presented here also have clinical implications, in pointing clinicians to different personality patterns they are likely to encounter in working with adolescent and adult COAs. Once the individual has become stable they will be ready to engage in therapy. Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours. With some insight into factors that can cause rage or aggression while drinking, you can take steps to avoid certain behaviors.
Alcohol impairs decision-making and leads to a loss of self-control, which can result in angry outbursts and even violence. Instead, it Alcohol Use Disorder is recommended to focus on building good emotional habits and seeking support. This can be done through therapy or support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which offer help for both the alcoholic and their loved ones. Alcoholic rage syndrome, also known as «angry drunk» behaviour, is a condition where individuals become combative, hostile, or aggressive when under the influence of alcohol. People with this syndrome often exhibit violent behaviour and have difficulty controlling their anger.
Substance Abuse Treatment Plan Facets
Alcohol has a significant impact on brain chemistry and emotional regulation. Chronic alcohol use disrupts neurotransmitters, which are responsible for mood and behavior, leading to irritability, aggression, and mood swings. This behavior is further compounded by the stress and frustration of dealing with the addiction, creating a cycle of negative interactions and emotional responses. Properly addressing alcohol-fueled aggression is crucial for your well-being and relationships. This unhealthy behavior can have multiple negative outcomes in life, and treatment for emotional healing, addictions, and anger management is essential for recovery. In particular, “alcoholic rage syndrome” seems to be linked to antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).

Here is the hard truth, the family, the friend, the significant other, the child, the one experiencing the outbursts hasn’t done anything wrong. Addressing both issues together helps break the cycle of alcohol and anger. Without treatment, these patterns often continue even when the person isn’t drinking. Watching someone you care about spiral into rage when they drink is devastating.
- The existence of an angry “crazy drunk person” is often featured in TV shows and movies because of the rising drama and action they bring to an entertaining storyline.
- The body adapts to having certain alcohol levels, and after a while, if the level of alcohol is not maintained, it is physically painful.
- It seems advisable to include personality subtyping in all research on children of alcoholics, given the clear heterogeneity within and across disorders that can be accounted for by them.
Why Are Some People Mean Drunks?
“It can be difficult to be aware of the impact of your emotions due to alcohol’s effect on the brain,” Metcalf explains. Whether for yourself or a loved one, support groups and therapy can lead to lasting sobriety. As you drink, alcohol enters your bloodstream and travels throughout your body, where it impacts your organs and all body systems, but the most profound effects from alcohol occur in your brain. When someone struggles with impulse control, they are unable to resist engaging in behaviors that cause harm to themselves or others. The rest of the night, you are on edge, trying to ensure his happiness because you know the potential rage that might ensue if something upsets him when he has been drinking.
If you or a loved one is experiencing these symptoms, Clear Steps Recovery offers professional support for clients and their families throughout the addiction recovery process. To treat the symptoms, the underlying cause of alcohol use disorder must be treated along with maintaining sobriety. The professionals at New Growth Recovery understand relationship difficulties related to alcoholism and rage syndrome. Generally speaking, trauma is often present before the onset of alcohol dependence.
Achieve Sobriety with Medication-Assisted Treatment
One study published in a journal called Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience sought to explore factors that make some people more aggressive when they drink. Intermittent explosive disorder can begin in childhood — after the age of 6 years — or during the teenage years. It may be caused by the living environment and learned behaviors, genetics, or differences in the brain. You may be wondering what you can do when someone shows signs of rage after consuming too much alcohol. Alcoholics may experience an increased sense of confidence and a reduction in inhibitions when drinking, which can lead to amplified emotions and aggressive behaviour. Alcohol can also exacerbate underlying anger and aggression issues, causing individuals to lash out verbally.