Alcohol disinhibits us, but I don’t think it reveals our true selves. Our inhibitions are an important and truthful part of who we are. There’s a real and important difference between someone who hits on women all the time and one who only ever tries it when he’s had a glass or two.
I use the ‘In Vino Veritas’ phrase to remark on instances where a bit of disinhibition allows one to come to a correct conclusion by way of letting go of a bunch of bullshit performative social norms…
… but yes, the flip side is that excess and addiction can absolutely warp a person, not ‘reveal’ them, and that your baseline inhibitions, to some extent, fundamentally are you, are your characteristics, your personality.
And, people often say a lot of very objectively stupid bullshit when drunk as well.
But but… a person is also to a good extent… a process, an evolving system, not a fully static thing.
As to your example… a person who only hits on someone after a drink or two likely just has less self-confidence than a person who hits on other people often.
But that does not mean that our … liquid courage needer… that they cannot gain self-confidence by other means, by maybe going to a bit of therapy and learning how to be reasonably proud of themselves, removing toxic, negging people from their life, engaging in self-affirming activities, reframing their view of themselves and their place or part in the world.
Alcohol disinhibits us, but I don’t think it reveals our true selves. Our inhibitions are an important and truthful part of who we are. There’s a real and important difference between someone who hits on women all the time and one who only ever tries it when he’s had a glass or two.
I use the ‘In Vino Veritas’ phrase to remark on instances where a bit of disinhibition allows one to come to a correct conclusion by way of letting go of a bunch of bullshit performative social norms…
… but yes, the flip side is that excess and addiction can absolutely warp a person, not ‘reveal’ them, and that your baseline inhibitions, to some extent, fundamentally are you, are your characteristics, your personality.
And, people often say a lot of very objectively stupid bullshit when drunk as well.
But but… a person is also to a good extent… a process, an evolving system, not a fully static thing.
As to your example… a person who only hits on someone after a drink or two likely just has less self-confidence than a person who hits on other people often.
But that does not mean that our … liquid courage needer… that they cannot gain self-confidence by other means, by maybe going to a bit of therapy and learning how to be reasonably proud of themselves, removing toxic, negging people from their life, engaging in self-affirming activities, reframing their view of themselves and their place or part in the world.