by Ryan Bendall

Created on: June 22, 2009

Alcohol can change the nicest person into a completely different person. Some people become happy and carefree, when usually they would be shy. Some people drink too quickly and have to retire and some become mean or even worse, violent.

Once a person has become intoxicated, it is near to impossible to do anything about their behaviour whilst they are still drunk. There is literally nothing you can do to in this situation as their brain is not functioning at its normal level. Rationality has gone, their entire persona has regressed to the level of a child and the more you try and talk to a person in this state, the situation will more than likely get worse.

The best advice to deal with a mean drunk is to try and avoid them basically. You may need to cut your night short, try and make sure everyone involved gets home safely and gets to bed. The problem that can occur is when you are also drinking. You may feel that you don't want to ruin your own night, just because someone has tried to put a downer on things for you and the worse possible thing you can do, is to react to the person in question in a negative manner. Arguing or confrontation when intoxicated is a really bad idea, things often get said that only make the matter worse and you will regret them in the morning, as they are more than likely not going to be truthful statements.

Angering a mean drunk can lead to violence in some cases, which relies on the individual but sometimes you can't even predict how a person will behave when they have literally no clue what they are doing. Although you shouldn't have to take any undeserved abuse, it is always best to try and simply ignore the person to the best of your ability and let the moment pass. Another thing you can do at the time is try and video the events and the behaviour. If you can do so without making yourself a target, you can show the footage back to the person when they are more sober. This can be a big wake up call for some people and help sway them away from the negative effects that drinking has on them.

It is in the morning when you will deal with this type of problem. You need to sit down with the individual and tell them how they were acting and how they made you and everyone else involved feel. Explain in the most detail possible how mean they have been and do not let them off lightly. Sometimes the guilty party will laugh about it and say a meaningless 'sorry' because they simply were too drunk to realise and can't remember any of it and so do not feel any remorse or guilt. Do not let this pass by as it will simply lead to the same thing happening again.

If they are a true friend, they will agree to curb their drinking and simply not get so drunk that they cause these problems and become a nuisance when intoxicated. There is plenty of help, you can advise them to look at; such as anger management, alcoholics anonymous or any therapy groups to help them realise the impact of their drinking on those around them.

Most people when confronted, will be willing to seek help and make sure they do not do it again. With these type of problems, the first and only way for them to deal with their problems is to admit to it and realise it. If they refuse to acknowledge that they have a problem, they will never change and continue to ruin your nights out and make a fool of themselves.

Drink can ruin peoples live's, and not just those putting the bottle to their lips. Don't put up with it, help them to help themselves.

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