With a brownout, you may be able to remember certain details from the period of time you were affected, but other portions of time can’t be recalled. Blackouts involve complete memory loss caused by your brain’s inability to record new memories for a period of time due to the effects of excessive alcohol, substance misuse or some other condition. For those whose blackouts have led to dangerous or risky behavior, it may also be necessary to address legal or social consequences through additional counseling or community services.
Who Is at Risk of Being Blackout Drunk?
- 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.
- But New York, for example, says mental incapacitation can legally result only from involuntarily being given a drink or drug, not from having chosen to drink.
- Someone blacking out will still be awake and able to interact normally while experiencing a blackout.
- But, if you drink enough to reach the level of alcohol poisoning, it is highly likely that you have already blacked out.
Other studies have found using benzodiazepines such as Valium and Rohypnol alongside alcohol greatly increase the chances of a blackout. Abusing these drugs without alcohol can cause memory loss, but alcohol enhances the effects of the drugs. Research also indicates that smoking marijuana while drinking increases the likelihood of blacking out. People who are drunk or blacked out are more likely to try illicit drugs than they would be sober. In a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, only one out of 50 college students who had experienced a blackout said they blacked out after drinking beer alone.
Alcohol use is a pervasive problem with well-known deleterious effects onmemory. Alcohol-induced memory impairments vary in severity, ranging from milddeficits to alcohol-induced blackouts (Heffernan,2008; White, 2003).Alcohol-induced blackouts are defined as amnesia, or memory loss, for all or part ofa drinking episode. During a blackout, a person is able to actively engage andrespond to their environment; however, the brain is not creating memories for theevents.
What You Need to Know About Blacking Out and Its Risks
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is commonly employed to help individuals understand the patterns and triggers that lead to excessive drinking. CBT aims to equip individuals with coping strategies to prevent future blackouts and reduce the risk of relapse. Group therapy and support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), can also provide a supportive environment that encourages sharing experiences and learning from others. Another complicating factor for research on blackouts is the potentialuse of other drugs (illicit or prescription) that might also contribute tomemory loss. Although several research studies statistically control for orexclude individuals who report co-occurring illicit drug use, research clearlyindicates that some individuals who report blackouts also report other drug use(Baldwin et al., 2011; Haas et al., 2015).
Strategies for managing blackouts
If you’re experiencing a blackout or brownout, you’re at higher risk for falling, injury and unwanted or unsafe sexual experiences. A person who is blacked out may also throw up while sleeping, which could lead to an increased risk of choking or suffocating. So-called blackouts and brownouts can lead to temporary and even permanent memory loss. Not to mention, they can put you in danger of serious harm in the moment when you’re not quite sure of your surroundings or what’s happening. This is the most common type of blackout, sometimes called a “grayout” or “brownout.” It refers to a spotty recollection of events with “islands” of memories.
If you made an unsafe sexual decision, talk to your doctor about being tested for a sexually transmitted disease. You can recover from an alcohol blackout by drinking water and beverages containing electrolytes, such as sports drinks. Eating fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods can also help your body recover from a long night of drinking. Still, several studies link heavy alcohol use to learning and memory problems.
It’s unclear whether blacking out causes serious long-term damage, but heavy alcohol use and solution based treatment and detox risky behaviors while blacked out can have serious long-term health effects. Research also indicates that a person who has experienced one blackout is more likely to have blackouts in the future. The long-term effects of a blackout are unknown, but they may cause the brain to be more susceptible to memory losses in the future. People who experience a fragmentary blackout may think they can’t remember what happened the night before, but their memory comes back when someone or something reminds them. Researchers believe a person may be unable to access the memory unless a reminder triggers it.
If someone frequently experiences a blackout period while drinking or is unable to control their behavior while drinking, seeking immediate help is necessary. While alcohol blackouts are caused solely by a high BAC, several factors can influence how high your BAC becomes while drinking. The amount of alcohol you drink within a specific time frame is typically the most important factor; however, other factors that slow alcohol metabolism or augment the effects of alcohol can increase your risk of blacking out.
While blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels are the sole cause of a blackout, the exact BAC needed to cause one will vary for different people and even for the same individuals at different times. • For drinkers, getting to the point of ‘blackout’ is surprisingly common. In a study of more than 1,000 college students, more than two-thirds – 66.4% – reported experiencing at least one blackout. Another analysis of more than 4,600 participants found that 52% of men and 39% of women reported having at least one blackout in their lifetime, while 21% of men and 11% of women reported having had three or more in one year.