At the beginning of the film, Ipkiss was a meek, self-described “nice guy” with a job, but a miserable life. Then he discovered the titular mask, and just like alcohol, it lowered his inhibitions and made him feel invincible and powerful, leading to impulsive and dangerous behaviors, from robbing banks to aggressively pursuing Tina Carlyle.

Most times when Ipkiss wakes up from an outing with the mask, he appears just as I have when I have woken up after drinking too much. He appears hungover, with a fuzzy recollection of the previous night’s events, and he is generally horrified by his actions.

Ipkiss discovers that The Mask only works at night. Although people can drink and get drunk during the day, it also mostly works its magic at night because most people perceive drunken behavior as disturbing during the day. But at night, the same behavior can make you the life of the party.

When Ipkiss is asked how the titular mask works, he explains, "I don't know... It's like it brings your innermost desires to life. If deep down inside, you're a little repressed and a hopeless romantic, you become some sort of a love-crazy wild man.” But he warns that, in the hands of Dorian Tyrell, it will be extremely dangerous. This suggests that, just as with alcohol, the mask lowers inhibitions, which is extremely dangerous in a person who is already inclined toward violence and other criminal behavior.

Finally, when Ipkiss decides he doesn’t need/want the mask anymore, it keeps coming back like the temptation to drink, either as a social crutch/lubricant, or full mask-oholism.