Simply asking about the amount an individual has drunk was not found to be effective. “If you are screening specifically for blackouts, it makes your screening more specific, instead of trying to intervene with every person who comes into your clinic,” Miller says. It is an online questionnaire that asks individuals about their drinking habits, and reports back how much they are drinking compared to others who are similar in age and background. Blackouts, her team found, serve as a “teachable moment after which individuals are more likely to respond to intervention”. Even when drinking the same amount as others, only some people experience blackouts.
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- During these blackout periods, individuals experience complete memory loss while remaining physically active, which can lead to dangerous situations.
- While alcohol blackouts are caused solely by a high BAC, several factors can influence how high your BAC becomes while drinking.
- Still, the most effective and simple strategy to prevent alcohol-induced blackouts is to avoid large amounts of the substance, especially in combination with other drugs or medications.
- One reason for this is that the frontal lobe of the brain is the last to develop, at around 25.
Briefly, the hippocampus is abrain structure involved in memory formation for events and has been found to beparticularly sensitive to alcohol. Overall, these findings suggestthat alcohol-induced blackouts can have profound effects on anindividual’s overall health and well-being, above and beyond the effectsof heavy alcohol consumption. Binging, pre-partying, and alcohol games, especially on an empty stomach, all produce a rapid rise in blood alcohol levels that make blackouts more likely. Drinking to the point of a blackout has gained pop culture notoriety in recent years. Alcohol-induced blackouts can lead to impaired memory of events that transpired while intoxicated, and a drastically increased risk of injuries and other harms.
Thus, researchers must becautious and account for factors other than alcohol that might contribute toblackouts. Boekeloo and colleauges (2011)examined a different type of drinking motive -“drinking to getdrunk,” which the authors defined as “pre-meditated,controlled, and intentional consumption of alcohol to reach a state ofinebriation” (p. 89). They explored the prevalence and correlates ofthis type of drinking behavior in 307 incoming freshman who reportedconsuming alcohol over the past 30 days. Nearly 77% of the incomingfreshmen reported drinking alcohol in a pre-meditated, intentional mannerwith the goal of becoming intoxicated.
Why Do Alcohol Blackouts Happen?
It’s thought that chronic alcohol consumption can harm the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe also plays a role in short-term and long-term memory formation and recall. Alcohol-related blackouts are gaps in a person’s memory for events that occurred while they were intoxicated. These gaps happen when a person drinks enough alcohol to temporarily block the transfer of memories from short-term to long-term storage—known as memory consolidation—in a brain area called the hippocampus. The memory gap that blackout drinking causes isn’t necessarily dangerous alone. However, drinking enough alcohol to blackout can increase your risk of alcohol poisoning, injury and other negative effects.
Blackouts
It’s also important to note that experiencing even a single blackout can be a sign of concerning alcohol use and should prompt an evaluation of one’s relationship with alcohol. If you or someone you know frequently experiences blackouts, consider seeking support from a medical professional or an addiction specialist to explore treatment options and strategies for reducing alcohol consumption. If you think you’ve experienced a black out, talk to friends that you were with about what happened.
First,alcohol-induced blackouts are amnestic periods, and as such, researchers arerelying on self-report of alcohol consumption for a period of time that theindividual cannot recall. As such, future researchshould use alternative methodologies to better understand the phenomenology ofalcohol-induced blackouts. For example, information might be obtained from aresearch observer, posing as a confederate, who is not na vs aa drinking but is presentat the drinking event.
Contact The Recovery Village Palmer Lake if you have questions about treatment or if you’re ready to get on the path to recovery and end your addiction to alcohol. If you believe your blackouts are indicative of an alcohol use disorder, help is available. Heavy alcohol use contributes to a shrinkage of the brain similar to Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by memory loss. However, studies do not support alcohol as a cause of Alzheimer’s disease. People who are experiencing being blackout drunk often feel similar symptoms to being drunk.
Blackouts become more likely as your blood alcohol concentration reaches a high level quickly, as occurs with binge drinking. In addition to abstaining from alcohol, moderation and pace are important to preventing blackouts. Avoid binge drinking, which is defined as consuming five or more drinks in about two hours for men, or four or more drinks for women. Researchers link that risk to the heavy drinking habits common among many college students. As you drink more alcohol and your blood alcohol level rises, the rate and length of memory loss will increase.