Drunk Personality Types Revealed And What They Indicate About You

“Take it off, Ron.” These are the four words my friends utter to me when I've had too much to drink and I'm acting like a bit of a di*k. For the Harry Potter aficionados out there, they're referencing the scene where Harry and Hermione beg Ron Weasley to take off the horcrux after his entire personality changes whilst wearing it. After a bottle of wine, I am akin to Ron in The Deathly Hallows Part 1: full of rage, venom and jealously. And it seems I'm not alone in transforming into a completely different person after a few margaritas. 

Plenty of my friends have ‘drunk personas’ - some of them even have their own name. There's ‘vicious Vick’, who once threw her husband's designer wardrobe out of the window after too much gin, and ‘sobbing Susan’ who'll pour her heart out to anyone who'll listen. 

Sound familiar? According to psychologists, alcohol can affect people in entirely different ways. Whilst some become more amicable, others (hi, hello!) become more irritable or impulsive - and the way you behave whilst under the influence can reveal a lot about what's going on with your sober self.

Indeed, as Dr Catherine Carney, Psychiatrist at Delamere, explains: “When you consume alcohol, your brain functions differently, influencing your behaviour, thoughts, mood and body. Perhaps, when you drink, you notice your behaviour becomes more aggressive or you feel more emotional? Alcohol affects everyone differently and it’s not uncommon for its effects to influence personality changes."

On a scientific level, alcohol immediately changes brain chemistry, interfering with the brain’s communication and affecting the way in which it functions. This, in turn, can affect your decision-making ability, and your self-control, decreasing emotional stability and increasing confidence.

A study carried out by the research team at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the United States analysed 374 men and women to determine how their personalities change when under the influence of alcohol. They identified four key drunk personalities - and they reveal a lot about the type of person you are when you're sober. Below, we've broken down the four key drunk personalities, which you may well identify with.

The Hemingways

This personality refers to the people who behave in a similar way when they drink. The category is named after the writer, Ernest Hemingway, who suffered from alcoholism and expressed that he could consume large amounts of alcohol without getting drunk. 40% of the people in the study fell into the Hemingway drunk personality category.

When sober, these individuals typically fall within each of the Five Big Personality Traits, which include extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness and neuroticism. The study also found that ‘The Hemingways see a small decrease in their intellect of conscientiousness when consuming alcohol.

The Mary Poppins

Around 14% of participants in the study fell into the ‘Mary Poppins’ category. This personality is identified in individuals who become friendlier and more cheerful when alcohol is consumed. They are considered more responsible drinkers, who are agreeable when sober and remain as such when drunk. They show a little decrease in their conscientiousness and intellect.

Typically, most individuals who fall within the Mary Poppins category are already outgoing characters, who become even more engaged and talkative while under the influence.

The Mr Hyde

The storyline of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, shows the interaction between the two personalities of the character - one good and one evil. Similar to the alter ego of Dr Jekyll, drinkers in this category are ‘less responsible, less intellectual, and more hostile when under the influence of alcohol’ compared to when sober, according to the study.

Mr Hydes often become a mean drunk. Compared to the other categories, they have the highest decrease in intellect and conscientiousness, and an increase in extroversion (characterised by talkativeness and assertiveness). This type of drinker is likely to become agitated or ‘wound up’ in negative situations, and can even get black-out drunk, or start fighting.

“This type of behaviour goes some way in highlighting the potential risks and dangers associated with consuming alcohol, and those who fall into the category of Mr Hyde should consider exploring sobriety or take on a more responsible or mindful approach to drinking,” says Dr Carney.

The Nutty Professors

Those that fall within the Nutty Professor category are usually more shy and self-conscious and typically identify as an introvert. However, when they consume alcohol they shift to a confident individual, become more extroverted and witness a decrease in their conscientiousness.

Despite the significant difference in their sober and drunk behaviour, the Nutty Professors are less at risk of harm.

All jokes about ‘the Horcrux’ aside, Dr Carney notes that one of the biggest downfalls of alcohol is the impact it can have on your relationships. “As you drink and your personality changes, friends and family can become hostile towards you. Your drunk personality can cause problems in all areas of your life, including work,” she said.

“These drunk personalities can be an indicator that you or someone you may know, might be suffering from alcoholism. If you consume dangerous levels of alcohol, you may find that you experience a dramatic change in personality, this is an indicator of an alcohol issue."

If you've been affected by anything in this article, there are resources about managing your alcohol intake on Drink Aware.