Believe it or not, I was more short fused before my drinking problem than after.
My drinking problem didn't begin from alcohol in itself. It began from an increasingly unstable home life and relationships.
I'm one of them "functioning alcoholics". You know, the ones that go to work completely messed up but no one notices because my attitude doesn't change. However, I've seen at least 99% of my drinking buddies go from well mannered individuals to complete ***** in a matter of a few drinks. It depends on what kind of drunk you are and how long you've had the problem. Those who've dealt with this problem for a long time tend to get more ill mannered than those who've had an alcohol problem for only a few months to years. It really depends on the person's psyche, too. Someone who's pissed and has more than two beers, for instance, is going to react badly to the affects of alcohol. Like many mind-altering substances, it really depends on the person.
I personally have PTSD and have gotten really good about only drinking enough to be comfortably numb (not that this is a good thing) rather than drinking until I have severe flashbacks and hallucinations.
I guess, from my experience, it depends on the person. At the same time, through enough exposure, it can still go bad (regardless of how well-mannered and mentally healthy you are sober). Time mixed with alcohol is never a solution to anything but something that many go through.