by Bill Urell
Alcoholic blackouts can range from being mildly annoying to life threateningly dangerous. Do you know the facts? Read on to learn more about alcohol induced blackouts.
The occurrence of an alcohol blackout is unpredictable both in severity and in timing.
When an individual experiences an alcohol induced blackout, his consciousness remains throughout the period but will be unable to have complete recollection of what happened during that time. The events are never imprinted on the brain for recall. It’s amnesia in a way, but it’s caused by drug or alcohol abuse and not a traumatic or physically debilitating experience.
There are two types of alcohol induced blackouts commonly studied:
1. Fragmentary or partial blackouts. These tend to occur when lower levels of alcohol are taken. You might forget names or what you were talking about in the middle of a conversation. These partially interfere with memory formation during intoxication. People can sometimes remember the missing pieces if they are prompted or reminded of the context of conversation or situation.
2. Complete or en bloc, blackouts.
When a person has a complete alcohol blackout, he is still physically and mentally able to perform actions although he may seem not like his usual self. In this type of blackout, an individual is still conscious but will be unable to retain any memory of what happened during his blackout, what so ever. Prompting or reminders will not lead to recall the events. It appears that the ability to transfer and imprint memory from the present and short term to long term storage is blocked.
How alcohol and drugs can cause blackouts -
In most cases, blackouts are a result of
binge drinking, that is, consuming an excessive quantity of liquor in a brief period of time. This has been confirmed by a research conducted for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism which reports how large and especially rapid consumption of alcohol can produce partial or complete blackouts.
One researcher states "If recreational drugs were tools, alcohol would be a sledgehammer" alcohol produces detectable memory impairments beginning after just one or two drinks. As the dose increases, so does the magnitude of the memory impairments."
Other things you should know about blackouts -
Age is a determining factor in how much alcohol you can safely consume. A woman’s tendency to black out more easily probably results from differences in how men and women metabolize alcohol. Females also may be more susceptible than males to milder forms of alcohol induced memory impairments, even when men and women consume comparable amounts of alcohol.
The dangers of experiencing blackouts -
Surveys have discovered that college students who had experienced alcoholic blackouts found out later on they had participated in various high-risk activities like engaging in sex without protection, driving under the influence of alcohol, or committing vandalism and other similar offenses.
People who experience blackouts may at that time have an impaired ability to decide and judge and possess minimal or no control at all over their impulses.
Tips for safe drinking and preventing and managing blackouts -
The only sure-fire method for not having a blackout or memory problems is to not drink. One puzzling aspect of blackouts is that the occurrence and consequences cannot be predicted.
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4 responses so far ↓
1 Patrick // Aug 25, 2008 at
Good article….I used to black out every once in a while during my drinking days, and the experience was always a complete nightmare. Your friends or family would tell you these terrible things that you did or said, and you could only sit there in stunned disbelief….because you honestly can’t remember a single thing from the night before! There is simply no defense against what they are saying, because your brain was simply not recording any of it.
Experiencing blackouts is a huge wake up call. It shook me up really bad and forced me to take a long hard look at my drinking. I became nervous about the possibility of blacking out again so I tried to isolate myself so that I wouldn’t hurt anyone else. This is insanity! What good is it to lock yourself away and drink to oblivion? I tried to cling to the belief that drinking and drugging was fun, but look at where it had led me…..wanting to lock myself away in case I blacked out again. And this was in my mid twenties!
Thank goodness I finally was blessed with surrender. I stopped fighting the endless fight and gave myself over to recovery.
A big thanks goes to Bill and this website, for spreading a message of true recovery. Keep up the good work Bill!
2 crimson // Sep 25, 2008 at
This is a good article. I have experience having a blackout because of too much drinking. I am shocked when I wake in my bed not remembering what happened when I was drinking. Not drinking is really one solution that I need to do so as not to experience this again.
3 tomandrew // Sep 28, 2008 at
I think so that the article here is not for ordinary users but for the people who drinks. They must understand what will happen if they drink too much and how much it will affect them and their health. Rather than having much side effects, it is still wise to learn from others experience.
4 lavern // Sep 29, 2008 at
Thanks for the information. I knew someone who has the same experience of having to drive home late at night without any single accident happening to him even when he is very drank. In the morning he ask his partner how he manage to get home safe and sound, alive and kicking ready for the days drinking spree again. He did not learn his lessons well, got sick and now he is gone.
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