Drunk dialing and texting have the same terrible effect. You wake up the next morning and roll over to find your cell phone lying on the pillow next to you. Then panic rushes through you - something along the lines of, 'Why isn't my phone on the charger? I always put it on the charger before bed. Was I expecting a call? Was I making a call?' You hesitantly pick it up and scroll through your call log. There it is - your ex's number. Even though you deleted his name from your contacts, you called him 17 times! Psychologists have given this alcohol-induced condition a name: alcohol myopia. When alcohol myopia, or shortsightedness, sets in, we end up doing exactly what we have been wanting to do but have been consciously avoiding. Alcohol impairs judgment, perception of the future and impulse control.
Often dubbed "liquid courage," many people mistakenly believe that alcohol is only responsible for reducing our inhibitions. They fail to acknowledge what leads to this lack of control. According to Steele and Joseph's Allocation Model presented in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, "Intoxication reduces cognitive capacity, thereby limiting attention to the immediate environment." In this shortsighted state, certain social cues and moral implications are overlooked. These effects can be positive or negative. Some positive effects include self-inflation and relief. Self-inflation, for instance, allows someone the temporary opportunity to be freed from the frustrations of negative self-image. By limiting cognitive resources, alcohol myopia also offers relief from mundane worries and stresses of life. This inflated ego can lead intoxicated individuals to do what they otherwise may not have been willing to do, and often should not do.
Alcohol myopia begins to set in at a blood alcohol content of .06 or more; the more an intoxicated person drinks, however, the more pronounced the myopia.
Alcohol tends to have different effects on different personality types. Northwestern University Assoc. Psychology Prof. Eli Finkel asserted that those who are more prone to drunk dialing are "in the quadrant that have strong impulses and strong restraint," and he believes that these are the people who are "most likely to fail when drunk." This imbalance in perception strongly influences behavior by causing those with moderate-to-high BACs to neglect future consequences. We forget the reason we have been avoiding that certain person all week and instead casually approach them on the Corner. The next morning when myopia fades, we see everything clearly and damage control begins.
Although there is no way to control how alcohol may affect us and how we act in certain situations, there are a few preventative measures to reduce the risk of drunk dialing. First, request that your designated driver also be your designated cell-phone holder. Second, delete the numbers of those who you know you are likely to call when intoxicated; this is a waste of time if you have memorized the number but is still a good idea. LG even makes a breathalyzer phone to help reduce drunk dialing. This phone is intended to combat drinking and driving but is also effective at combating drinking and dialing. Finally, let your friends be your allies; not only do friends not let friends drink and drive but they also should not let friends drink and dial.
Jade Hall is a fourth-year College student. She can be reached at j.hall@cavalierdaily.com.
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