Is Alcohol A Truth Serum?

[Quiddity]

There is plenty of articles on the web on this, thanks to Mel Gibson.
What do you think?
Is Alcohol a truth Serum?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

No. Alcohol affects each person differently.

We could have an RF get-together for some scientific testing.

We'd need lots of alcohol and a few days.

Weekends are better for me.

 

[Daria]

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a truth serum, but I think it clouds our judgement sometimes, and therefore allows us to expose certain sides of us that perhaps we wouldn't be as happy to exhibit whilst sober. In that sense, I think it can provoke us to be more upfront or honest about things, because we're less concerned with the consequences.

 

[Quiddity]

No. Alcohol affects each person differently.

We could have an RF get-together for some scientific testing.

We'd need lots of alcohol and a few days.

Weekends are better for me.

Try finding the ones whom it does serve as truth serum. You will soon find out that noboby meant what they said....

 

[sahra-t]

What one says while drunk is not always necessarily the truth though; we may not think we're exaggerating but more than often we are.

Do you really love everyone you've told you love while you were drunk??

 

[Quiddity]

What one says while drunk is not always necessarily the truth though; we may not think we're exaggerating but more than often we are.

Do you really love everyone you've told you love while you were drunk??

Exaggerations still have hints of truth.

 

[sahra-t]

Yes that's true but exaggerated truth isn't really the whole truth, is it?

Lowered inhibitions often lead to the truth, but it's just cos we don't really look at the long term when drunk, just the short term.

 

[ALifetimeToWaitFor....]

Lowered inhibitions often lead to the truth, but it's just cos we don't really look at the long term when drunk, just the short term.

I think consequences are irrevelant to the truth. I've never held back from saying exactly whats on my mind, sober or drunk. I **** off alot of people, but my friends know it and do the same back to me. I love the unadulterated truth. I hate cushy half truths. That make you feel alright about whatever it is. Slap me in the face and wake me up! I believe that losing inhibitions, getting buzzed, rather than getting ****faced is a truth serum.

 

[sahra-t]

I think consequences are irrevelant to the truth. I've never held back from saying exactly whats on my mind, sober or drunk. I **** off alot of people, but my friends know it and do the same back to me. I love the unadulterated truth. I hate cushy half truths. That make you feel alright about whatever it is. Slap me in the face and wake me up! I believe that losing inhibitions, getting buzzed, rather than getting ****faced is a truth serum.

Consequences are irrelevant to the truth but not irrelevant to whether you're willing to offer it.

The fact that you're willing to say whatever, whenever is good, and I know other people like you, but a lot of us are much less willing to be so blunt without a bit of help.

I guess it really does just depend on the person.

 

[Quiddity]

Yes that's true but exaggerated truth isn't really the whole truth, is it?

Lowered inhibitions often lead to the truth, but it's just cos we don't really look at the long term when drunk, just the short term.

A hint of anti-semitism is a disease.
A hint of racism is a disease.
A hint of .......

You don't need the whole truth for it to harm.

 

[sahra-t]

A hint of anti-semitism is a disease.
A hint of racism is a disease.
A hint of .......

You don't need the whole truth for it to harm.

I don't really see where you're going with that?

"The truth" is not the same as an undesirable characteristic.

I think I may just be missing your point, could you explain?

 

[Quiddity]

I don't really see where you're going with that?

"The truth" is not the same as an undesirable characteristic.

I think I may just be missing your point, could you explain?

My point is that it doesn't take a full blown anti-semetic or racist to do harm. One could have some light passionate (negative) thoughts about X group and it would take little to trigger some people to become more passionate about that group. It's still a part of who you are, alcohol simply brought it out in you.

 

[PureX]

There is plenty of articles on the web on this, thanks to Mel Gibson.
What do you think?
Is Alcohol a truth Serum?

As someone who has had a great deal of experience with alcohol. I would say that it's NOT a "truth serum". In fact, it's much more akin to an "idiot serum". When we drink too much alcohol, we don't become truthful, we become idiots.

Mel Gibson got drunk and acted like a complete idiot. This is not surprising. I have been very drunk on THOUSANDS of occasions in my life as an active alcoholic, and I can honestly say that I behaved like an idiot pretty much every time. "Truth" certainly had nothing to do with it. And in fact the more I drank, the less able I was to recognize the truth no matter how obviously it was manifesting itself to me.

I feel bad for Mel Gibson. Apparently, from his comments, I gather that he is an alcoholic like myself, and should therefor never, ever drink alcohol. But he had a relapse, and as almost always happens when an alcoholic relapses, he got very, very drunk and behaved very, very stupidly. It's a strange thing about alcoholism, in that it never diminishes, or goes away. At whatever intensity level of chronic drinking one quits drinking, no matter how long he stays sober, if he drinks again, he'll pick up at exactly the same level of chronic drinking as when he left off. I've seen this many times, and know it to be so.

My prayers go out to Mel Gibson. As a fellow drunk, I know how horrible alcoholism really is, and I sincerely hope that he can regain a state of sobriety. As to the videotape that the media pigs are all clamoring for, so they can exploit Mel Gibson's weakness for as much money as possible, I'm proud of the sheriff's office for refusing to release it. Perhaps they could put a really big pile of s**t in a box, and throw it out into the crowd of salivating "reporters", claiming that it's the tape they've all been waiting for. Now a videotape of THAT would be something to see!

*smile*

 

[Quiddity]

As someone who has had a great deal of experience with alcohol. I would say that it's NOT a "truth serum". In fact, it's much more akin to an "idiot serum". When we drink too much alcohol, we don't become truthful, we become idiots.

Mel Gibson got drunk and acted like a complete idiot. This is not surprising. I have been very drunk on THOUSANDS of occasions in my life as an active alcoholic, and I can honestly say that I behaved like an idiot pretty much every time. "Truth" certainly had nothing to do with it. And in fact the more I drank, the less able I was to recognize the truth no matter how obviously it was manifesting itself to me.

I feel bad for Mel Gibson. Apparently, from his comments, I gather that he is an alcoholic like myself, and should therefor never, ever drink alcohol. But he had a relapse, and as almost always happens when an alcoholic relapses, he got very, very drunk and behaved very, very stupidly. It's a strange thing about alcoholism, in that it never diminishes, or goes away. At whatever intensity level of chronic drinking one quits drinking, no matter how long he stays sober, if he drinks again, he'll pick up at exactly the same level of chronic drinking as when he left off. I've seen this many times, and know it to be so.

My prayers go out to Mel Gibson. As a fellow drunk, I know how horrible alcoholism really is, and I sincerely hope that he can regain a state of sobriety. As to the videotape that the media pigs are all clamoring for, so they can exploit Mel Gibson's weakness for as much money as possible, I'm proud of the sheriff's office for refusing to release it. Perhaps they could put a really big pile of s**t in a box, and throw it out into the crowd of salivating "reporters", claiming that it's the tape they've all been waiting for. Now a videotape of THAT would be something to see!

*smile*

I would make the distinction of his behaivor vs. an ideology he would blurt out. I have had plenty of alcoholics around me. In my experience, there has always been a connection to something they said while they were drunk vs. how they really feel while being sober. Granted people do act like idiots and do things that they wouldn't normally. But I think you can have a conversation with a person who is drunk and can pick up on plenty of truth out of their mouth. I do not attribute his/her belief/feeling on the alcohol.

He really does hate me.
He really is jelous.
He really is anti-religious.
He really is ........

Not once could I not make a connection with the sober person and the drunk person. They make a comment I almost always found hints of it while they were sober. All I did was listen. Do remember that I'm talking about people who are real close to me. I would never have the time to find this out with the normal joe.

 

[PureX]

I would make the distinction of his behavior vs. an ideology he would blurt out. I have had plenty of alcoholics around me. In my experience, there has always been a connection to something they said while they were drunk vs. how they really feel while being sober. Granted people do act like idiots and do things that they wouldn't normally. But I think you can have a conversation with a person who is drunk and can pick up on plenty of truth out of their mouth.

I disagree. That may be somewhat true of a non-alcoholic who happens to get drunk on a rare occasion. But I think the scenario with an alcoholic is far different. Alcoholism seriously twists the mind and causes real dementia. Mel Gibson's diatribe about "the Jews" could very easily have been more the product of alcoholic paranoid delusions than anything he actually thought or felt as a sober man. And if he has been drinking regularly for some time, those delusions will have invaded his mind even in the few hours that he isn't drinking. Alcoholic dementia is a real condition, and if as Mr. Gibson claims, he had a relapse, after some time sober, such a dementia could return in spades very quickly. It's a strange phenomena of alcoholism that it's intensity never abates even after years of sobriety.

Not once could I not make a connection with the sober person and the drunk person. They make a comment I almost always found hints of it while they were sober. All I did was listen. Do remember that I'm talking about people who are real close to me. I would never have the time to find this out with the normal joe.

Well, I once was convinced than my upstairs neighbor was a spy for the gas company, in spite of the fact that he was a young British man with long hair who worked as a bartender. And I was just as convinced of this in my few hours not drinking each day as I was when I was drunk.

Yet as a sober man, I certainly do not believe it, now.

And I think it's the same for Mel Gibson. His drunken delusions may certainly involve some sort of bigotry about Jews, and may even show up when he's not drinking, if he has been drinking recently. But as a sober man who has abstained from drinking for a little while, he could honestly say that he's not subject to those same delusions, and it would be the truth.

 

[Quiddity]

I disagree. That may be somewhat true of a non-alcoholic who happens to get drunk on a rare occasion. But I think the scenario with an alcoholic is far different. Alcoholism seriously twists the mind and causes real dementia. Mel Gibson's diatribe about "the Jews" could very easily have been more the product of alcoholic paranoid delusions than anything he actually thought or felt as a sober man. And if he has been drinking regularly for some time, those delusions will have invaded his mind even in the few hours that he isn't drinking. Alcoholic dementia is a real condition, and if as Mr. Gibson claims, he had a relapse, after some time sober, such a dementia could return in spades very quickly. It's a strange phenomena of alcoholism that it's intensity never abates even after years of sobriety.

Well, I once was convinced than my upstairs neighbor was a spy for the gas company, in spite of the fact that he was a young British man with long hair who worked as a bartender. And I was just as convinced of this in my few hours not drinking each day as I was when I was drunk.

Yet as a sober man, I certainly do not believe it, now.

And I think it's the same for Mel Gibson. His drunken delusions may certainly involve some sort of bigotry about Jews, and may even show up when he's not drinking, if he has been drinking recently. But as a sober man who has abstained from drinking for a little while, he could honestly say that he's not subject to those same delusions, and it would be the truth.

Pentothal (truth serum) gets people in a similar state to that of alcohol. The Soviet KGB would often use pure alcohol to do the same. Although the subjects often times mixed fact with fiction, picking up on the facts was of useful information. More then anything it was trying to get them in a particular "state". Alcohol can do this, but it looses it's effectiveness as soon as you get so drunk that you can't walk.

So I guess we disagree. I think this "state" does get people to talk more truth.

 

[PureX]

Pentothal (truth serum) gets people in a similar state to that of alcohol. The Soviet KGB would often use pure alcohol to do the same. Although the subjects often times mixed fact with fiction, picking up on the facts was of useful information. More then anything it was trying to get them in a particular "state". Alcohol can do this, but it looses it's effectiveness as soon as you get so drunk that you can't walk.

So I guess we disagree. I think this "state" does get people to talk more truth.

Well, all I can say is that I've been there. And for me it was not a "truth serum". If anything, it was just the opposite. Maybe that's why the KGB is no longer. *smile*

 

[Quiddity]

Well, all I can say is that I've been there. And for me it was not a "truth serum". If anything, it was just the opposite. Maybe that's why the KGB is no longer. *smile*

It did just that for me..... .

 

[alex-f]

I think in Mels case, the alcohol lowered his inhibitions and he said what he thought. Views such as those he is accused of are not acceptable and so almost anyone harbouring such opinions would not want to express them in public. Alcohol left Gibson without thoughts of the consequences and so made some of his opinions clear.

 

[Quoth The Raven]

I think in Mels case, the alcohol lowered his inhibitions and he said what he thought. Views such as those he is accused of are not acceptable and so almost anyone harbouring such opinions would not want to express them in public. Alcohol left Gibson without thoughts of the consequences and so made some of his opinions clear.

Or perhaps he was just really ****** off that he was being arrested, and came up with something he thought would get right up the nose of the arresting officer. Even sober some people will say things they don't believe if they're intent on inflicting emotional pain on someone else. Maybe he's just a nasty drunk.