Alcohol, Aggression, and Violence: From Public Health to Neuroscience

In severe cases, they can affect your body’s essential functions, leading to dangerous symptoms. Despite the variability between individuals, there are some predictable stages of drunkenness through which a person may progress, depending on their blood alcohol content (BAC), as their drinking episode continues. Treatment for alcohol intoxication involves supportive care while the body tries to process the alcohol. Of the substances linked to aggressive behavior, alcohol appears particularly noxious.

There is also an increase in aggressive behavior between girls and boys as cross-gender peer relationships develop. As dating begins, aggressive behavior between genders increases and may include violent forms of aggressive behavior, like date rape and sexual assault. In addition, some adolescents may have partners and parent children, bringing the possibility of aggressive behavior manifested as child abuse or domestic violence. Many researchers have identified adolescent aggressive behavior as an important public health concern (Brener, Simon, Krug, & Lowry, 1999; Krug et al., 2002; Lowry, Powell, Kahn, Collins, & Kolbe, 1998). A cross-national study by the World Health Organization (WHO) using the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey was conducted to compare the prevalence of violence across 35 nations (Pickett et al., 2005). Out of 161,082 student respondents, involvement in fighting per country ranged from 37–69% for boys and 13–32% for girls (Pickett et al., 2005).

I drink alone: Mechanisms of risk for alcohol problems in solitary drinkers

For example, difficulties processing information, verbal or non-verbal memory, attention, and problem-solving abilities are enhanced. In alcohol-dependent individuals it has successfully been shown that cognitive training can support rehabilitation https://www.mdyhome.com/2014/12/grow-your-gardening-knowledge-heres-some-great-tips/ as part of traditional treatment (e.g. 17–19). It should be noted that the target variables of these randomized, controlled clinical trials were treatment outcomes such as remaining abstinent, rather than aggressive behavior or aggression.

The nature of nurses’ roles increases their likelihood of being threatened, verbally abused, or even physically assaulted while providing care. Nurses play an important role in assessing, preventing, and treating aggressive behavior among patients and families. Some studies highlight the impairment caused by alcohol consumption on processing emotional faces. http://www.azerilove.net/articles/245/1/love-sayings-ana-quotes One such study involved a sample of 85 social drinkers who were described as being low or high trait anger based on their responses to the anger expression index of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) (Eastwood et al., 2020). They first consumed alcohol and were asked to recognize the emotions of different faces on a computer task.

Consequences of Aggressive Behavior

In a British prison sample, over a third of male homicide offenders had consumed alcohol and were considered drunk at the time of the offense and 14.0% had been using drugs (Dobash and Dobash, 2011). Given the dangers of a high blood alcohol level, recognizing the stages of intoxication beyond being legally drunk is essential. In truth, the physical consequences of .08% BAC are only the beginning of the danger zone.

in which stage of intoxication does an individual become aggressive

Parents should educate themselves with resources and information to learn the tools available to prevent teenage drinking and recognize the stages of intoxication. It is important to take proactive steps to address teenage drinking early to avoid greater adverse consequences later. Talking to teens about anything can be daunting, and drinking is a serious subject. With a BAC of between 0.35 and 0.50 percent, an individual is at significant risk of experiencing a coma including depressed respiration and circulation, low body temperature, and slow heart rate.

Criminal Behavior and Mental Health

However, the inconsistent findings of serotonin markers in brain imaging studies of alcoholics suggest that comorbidity of AUD with other psychiatric disorders may complicate the serotonin hypothesis in real life. In addition, even individual differences in http://www.degilden.info/levitan/nesterov-under-blagovest/ personality traits determine the types of emotion affected by the depletion of serotonin (Kanen et al., 2021). Due to these significant consequences of aggressive behavior, steps for prevention and treatment must be taken to mitigate these harmful effects.

Increased exposure to air pollution or certain chemicals prenatally has been linked to increased aggressive behavior (Evans & Kantrowitz, 2002; Williams & Ross, 2007). Individuals displaying aggressive and/or violent behavior often have abnormal clinical findings on neurological examinations, EEG studies, and brain imaging scans (Raine, 2002; Raine, Lencz, Nihrle, LaCasse, & Colletti, 2000; Stoff & Cairns, 1996). Aggressive behavior may also be comorbid with impulsive behavior or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Hagerman, 1999). Furthermore, neurotransmitters may be an issue, as augmentation of serotonin was recently found to decrease aggressive behavior (Berman, McCloskey, Fanning, Schumacher, & Coccaro, 2009). Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found throughout the body, including the central nervous system (CNS) where it is thought to contribute to the feelings of happiness and well-being (Young, 2007).

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