Expert: Jan Edward Williams - 12/13/2007

Question
My husband is an alcoholic. A few months ago he stopped drinking (he was drinking daily for several years).  He quit drinking when I kicked him out (we have three kids and have been together 17 years).  When he drinks he is sarcastically mean, moody, yells, and displays low self-esteem, jealousy.  When he's sober, he has been "normal".  However, recently he has had a beer or two at times.  Even though he is only having a minimal amount of alcohol, his personality changes to how he was when he was drinking heavily.  Why is this happening?  Is it psychological or neurological?

Answer
Hello Just me,
Sorry for the delay in answering your question; I have been incredibly busy. The answer is probably both. Negative personality change in alcoholics when they drink is due to dysfunction in the brain's neurochemistry, and also due to the disinhibiting effects of alcohol that allow a person to act on innate urges that usually are under control.

As with all drugs, alcohol will have “positive” effects (disinhibition) due to release of feel good neurotransmitters, but chronic use will ultimately cause dysfunction of the systems producing these chemicals, causing long-term negative effects.

Here is a quick overview of the neurotransmiiters affected by alcohol:

Serotonin: alcohol elevates mood lowers impulse control; then depresses mood   

Dopamine (pleasure) and norepinephrine (stimulant effects): alcohol causes an increase in these neurotransmitters and pleasurable feelings; with chronic excessive use, the opposite, negative effects occur, depression, anger, and other negative emotions

Endorphins (pain reducing chemicals): pleasure (pain relief); but then dysphoria (depression)

GABA: most importantly, this neurotransmitter sedates (inhibits) production of stimulants, norepinephrine, for ex., resulting in central nervous system depression and disinhibition, but then there are rebound effects, with negative feelings

Effect on Sex: At moderate levels, because of its disinhibition effect, there is less anxiety, increase in desire, and probably in performance. In higher doses, alcohol “provokes the desire, but takes away the performance.”

Violence and aggression, including date rape: Due to disinhibiting effects of excess serotonin.

My experience with alcoholics is that when they drink even small amounts, there is a negative change; they become someone different, almost possessed. An alcoholic, by definition, cannot drink without adverse effects.