In this thesis we will seek answer to the question if alcohol has any psychological effects towards violence. We will attempt to build a model and test our hypothesis on this model.

Analysis
Like tobacco, alcohol too is consumed to get one or more of the following feelings:
a feeling of stimulation
a feeling of sedation
a feeling of intoxication
a feeling of relaxation
a feeling and of being ‘on high’

Our hypothetical case concerns a middle aged person with a wife and two kids plus his old parents whom he supports. This was a happy family and life was normal and comfortable. There was sufficient food on the table and the family would enjoy an occasional movie and dinner outside. The kids had good grades in the school. All in all it was the picture of a family in peace with itself and with the elements. Misfortune struck in the form of a job loss following business contraction experienced by the firm where he was employed. His social security did bring some relief but it was not enough to meet the expenses. The family did not have enough savings to sustain themselves.

The man applied to all the jobs advertised. He had enlisted himself with the recruiting agencies as well. Unfortunately however he was unable to find any employment. Meanwhile the wife was busy looking after her husband, kid and parents in- law, so she could spare little time for an outside job. The social security entitlements helped but the credit card was used up to the maximum limit. Friends and relations did extend a helping hand which kept things going though there was no bank credit available there. During one of his outdoor searches for some work he felt tired so stepped inside a bar and had a drink. He felt greatly refreshed and energized. So he decided to have another one. Though he knew he was short of money he had more and more of drinks as days went by.

 
Having a drink or two would help him to release the tension and feel good for a while. We will discuss later on that pharmacologically according to which alcohol inhibits self-consciousness, anxieties, and capacity for good judgment. It was after the effect of the drink had won off that he would feel even more miserable and frustrated. One day when he returned home, after having had a drink, he was feeling particularly disturbed and in his frustrated state of mind had an altercation with his wife. He hit her on the face which required stitches. The police registered a case and the court ordered him to stay away from home for a two week period.
 

Having nowhere to sleep he started to sleep in the parks. Though he was not comfortable he had no choice. He started to go to the bar to get the satisfaction he was unable to get out of anything else. He picked up the alcoholic habit and soon became an alcoholic. It was difficult thereafter to control himself. Even after he was allowed to return home he could not quit this habit though he found himself a job. He often displayed violent tendencies while at work for which he was reprimanded also. This affected his job appraisal and evaluation adversely. There is no doubt that the trouble this man went through was severe. But it was not serious enough for him to turn violent. It is unlikely that the man who had steady nerves would succumb to what at worst was a transitory, passing problem. Alcohol works so as to ‘bolster’ the courage. It makes the person feels he has the strength to take on greater odds. This encouragement works more in a negative situation where a person loses his sense of proportion. That is why alcohol is described as being ‘disinhibiting’ leading to street brawls and violence. The confidence about muscle power also helps link intoxication and violent incidents. Research in the United States proves that men drink to feel stronger. Those for whom personalized power is a concern drink more heavily and may react more violently.

Alcohol affects brain functions. It reduces the number of cues of the intoxicated person so he or she is unable to clearly understand the perception. What is reasonable may not appear to be so as the coping mechanism is impaired. Let us now conduct an experiment. We will put two men on different jobs. Both have 40- hour work week and identical wages. One is to work as a helper on the assemble line in an engineering firm that manufactures automobile accessories. The other person is to work in the Food and Beverage Department of a five-star hotel as a waiter. Now we all know that in the Food and Beverage department of a hotel the beverages are more alcoholic than say fruit juices or pop. People do not go to five-star hotels to drink pop.

The person employed in the hotel had ample opportunities and access to alcohol. Customers (called ‘guests’ in hotel parlance) would leave part of the bottle unconsumed. Here was the chance for one and all in the service section of the department to enjoy themselves and have a drink—on the house. Because of such opportunities the person in our experiment soon picked up the drinking habit. During his off hours he would buy a bottle to carry home or go to a bar and gave drinks. There is no dearth of company as people unwind themselves after work.

 
Quite soon the hotel employee started to drink heavily and his behavior took on a different note. He became quarrelsome fighting his colleagues over tips and such other matters. Because the others working there were senior to him they had gone through this process and had come out of it. Time had taught them the virtue of limiting the alcohol consumption and keep their senses about them in order to keep the lucrative jobs which rewarded them (tips they earned was three to four times their official wages and was also tax-free) so well. The new entrant had yet to learn the ropes and so he started to lose his temper and get into arguments and fights. He became violent and lost his job soon.

This was of course a hypothetical situation but it does serve to illustrate that alcohol, particularly when consumed in excess, puts in a streak of violence in a person who consumes it.