So, I’ve never gotten drunk before. I’ve had a drink or two on occasion, but never enough to get more than buzzed. And realistically now that I’m on antidepressants I probably won’t any time in the near future.
Something I’ve wondered about is when it comes up in movies or real life news stories is: Exactly how responsible are you for things you do while drunk? Not legally, that’s more concrete, but practically. If alcohol inhibits your decision making capabilities, to what extent is anything done while drunk something you “decided” to do? You could still be held accountable for getting so drunk in the first place that this was able to happen, but that seems at least somewhat different from the actual act made during inebriation. Like say, drunk driving: Is the act of deciding to drive drunk merely the act of drinking a lot plus a roll of the dice to see if you end up making a decision you wouldn’t have made sober?
Like I said though, I have no personal experience with this, so maybe I’m way off base in understanding the nature of how in control a drunk person is of their behavior.
Twice in my youth I’ve blacked out. I remember the start of the evening, and I remember waking up with no clue how I got to where I was. In between, there’s nothing. I couldn’t tell you whether I was still in control or not, because I simply don’t remember. Neither do my friends: I just disappeared.
Other times, when I was “normally” drunk, it’s definitely like others here have said: fewer inhibitions but there’s still a core that can make decisions. But when I blacked out? No idea. I might’ve stolen the Mona Lisa and replaced it with my own copy for all I know.
I just wish I remembered where I put the real one.