Alcoholism & Anger Management: Mental Health & Addiction

While the early months of the alcohol recovery timeline can bring about many positive changes, they can also feel like an emotional rollercoaster. Your body and brain are healing, and without the numbing qualities of alcohol, it’s natural for intense emotions to arise, including anger. As a therapist on the Monument platform, I often work with my patients to identify the root cause of their anger, and establish healthier ways to process intense emotions in sobriety. This national study on alcohol consumption and domestic violence found that up to 40% of the men and 34% of the women who were violent with their partners were drinking alcohol. When you don’t know how to feel, express, and release your anger in a healthy way, you catalyze a painful internal experience, which sets you up for alcoholism, substance abuse and other addictions. Over time Ryan came to better understand factors that contributed to his drinking, including his anger and increased aggression when drinking.

In general, expressing appropriate emotions is a skill that addicts struggle with early in their recovery. Nevertheless, it is important to remember to support your ongoing recovery and long-term sobriety; learning how to identify, deal with, and control anger is paramount. Understanding the relationship between alcoholism and anger is essential to continued success, and an alcohol rehab in Florida can help you with that. Anger management issues may be rooted in a specific mental health disorder in some cases. On the flip side, alcohol dependence commonly leads to significant withdrawal symptoms that are often side effects of alcohol addiction. Emotional withdrawal symptoms can include agitation, anxiety, depression, irritability, and tension as well as sleep disturbances, insomnia, and physical discomfort.

Navigating the non-linear treatment journey

Aside from existing anger issues, people can turn into aggressors when drinking for several reasons. Continue reading to learn more about the link between alcohol and anger, including which risk factors exist, how alcohol-related aggression can be dangerous and more. By understanding how alcohol abuse influences your mood, you can learn to make positive choices instead of ones you may regret.

“If you carefully consider the consequences of your actions, it is unlikely getting drunk is going to make you any more aggressive than you usually are.” That trait is the ability to consider the future consequences of current actions. But people without that trait don’t get any more aggressive when drunk than they would when they’re sober. Here at Sunrise Native Recovery, we’re https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/the-connection-between-alcoholism-and-anger/ dedicated to helping Native Americans who struggle with alcohol or drug addiction. Whether you’re contending with a mild, moderate, or severe addiction, our team can help you navigate the road of recovery and begin creating the kind of life you truly desire. When you drink and lose some of your ability to reason, you tend to not worry so much about consequences to your behavior.

The Connection Between Alcohol and Anger

In addiction treatment, this is known as a dual-diagnosis or co-occurring disorder that can be treated with therapy. Research indicates that the chance of dating violence including physical aggression increases when alcohol is consumed. The same was discovered to apply to sexual aggression, even in males with otherwise fair anger management skills. Violence can occur in all types of relationships, from casual dating relationships to long-term partnerships to marriages.

Judith Orloff As Dr. Orloff points out, overpowering anger is extremely difficult. The same goes for alcoholism – and overcoming both of them at the same time can seem daunting. With the right kind of help, you can put anger and alcoholism behind you and move toward a happier, healthier life.