DEAR ABBY: Is it true what people say while drunk, or not? Does alcohol cause one's true feelings to come out? -- LINDA IN CRESTVIEW, FLA.
DEAR LINDA: Drinking lowers a person's inhibitions. When that happens, things he or she would not say under normal (sober) circumstances can come out. Are they a reflection of the person's true feelings? Yes, often they are -- but not always. Drinking can also distort one's sense of reality, causing the drinker to become defensive -- or offensive -- and react to a threat, insult or "invitation" that exists only in his or her addled imagination.