Is alcohol a truth serum of sorts?

[ColdCouch]

I barely have any experience being around intoxicated people. I never drink myself, either. However, the few times I've been exposed to drinkers get very drunk, I've noticed that their true feelings and intentions tend to come to surface. For example, people say things that they are normally too afraid to say when sober, or their real personalities that they try to suppress (i.e. anger) come to the surface full force.

 

Is my theory somewhat accurate or am I way off? This is just what I've personally noticed but I don't have enough data or experience to know whether it's a fluke or not.

[Romanticheart1]

Absolutely, alcohol can make people have loose tongues and say things they wouldn't if they weren't drinking!

[nutbrownhare]

Alcohol makes people lose their inhibitions, which may make some people appear more honest - at least temporarily.

 

But anyone who seriously thinks that it's a truth serum, or however you care to put it, really ought to try living with an alcoholic!

[caro33]

I wouldn't say it's a truth serum. Yes, inhibitions can come down, but people can also overestimate their bad feelings when drunk because alcohol in a larger dose has a depressant effect. So maybe the feeling you hear from the very drunk person is real but completely over-stated, which makes it not really 'true' in the scheme of things.

[ColdCouch]

Thank you all for your responses. So to sum it up, alcohol can lower your inhibitions and make it look like you're being more honest, but mostly it can cause you to exaggerate your thoughts and feelings, too.

[j.man]

As said, it's an inhibition destroyer, not a truth serum, at least not in the sense you're thinking. Alcohol increases the chance you will say what you're thinking, but given that alcohol in excess turns you into an idiot (coming from someone who partakes in his fair share and admittedly then some), there's no guarantee a drunk thought would be a sober thought.

[Liraele]

There's a pretty popular saying of: "The drunk tongue speaks the sober thoughts."

 

I agree with jman - it tends to remove the inhibitions, rather than make someone say any sort of profound truth. It basically removes the common sense (and in many cases common decency) filter that most people apply to their day-to-day interactions and conversations.

[DancingFool]

Yes, in the sense that it lowers inhibitions and removes filters that would normally be in place. Reduces your good judgment.....literally.....Alcohol doesn't create thoughts, only enables unfiltered spewing of them. That said, you really do have to take it with a giant grain of salt because once sober again, people's filters will slam down shut hard and fast. They will not act on their drunk self, they'll only act on their sober self. For example, if someone proclaims that they are in love with you while drunk, but doesn't actually act on that when sober, that means they have some strong personal reasons not to pursue and those reason will trump any drunken "truths". In fact if you try to press the person on whatever they said while drunk, you are liable to get met with adamant denial and immediate dismissal of "I was drunk, so nonsense, doesn't count, doesn't mean anything." In a way, that is correct because they are telling you straight up that they are not going to act on their drunken "truths" when sober and with their judgment intact.

[caro33]

And alcohol is a depressant. So even the drunk truths may not be truths. Many very drunk people get maudlin and that's because the alcohol is having that effect on their brain chemistry. I think the previous posters are missing that.

[ColdCouch]

And alcohol is a depressant. So even the drunk truths may not be truths. Many very drunk people get maudlin and that's because the alcohol is having that effect on their brain chemistry. I think the previous posters are missing that.

 

Thank you!