Alcohol Induced Blackouts: What They Are and Why They're Dangerous

The lure of drinking alcohol to excess can be irresistible to some people, particularly as they're coming of age. When I was a college student on the verge of legal adulthood, many of my peers were quite enthusiastic about drinking. I don't remember passing a single weekend without someone suggesting how much more fun the weekend would be if we all got drunk. Back in my younger and dumber days, I agreed with my friends. It was fun to get drunk, even though I had grown up the daughter of an alcoholic. In those days, it never occurred to me that drinking to excess could be very dangerous, even if I had no plans to drive anywhere. The most I ever suffered after too much fun with booze was a wicked hangover coupled with vomiting. In retrospect, I was pretty lucky.

When I later went back to school for graduate degrees in social work and public health, I became much better acquainted with the dangers of drinking too much alcohol and alcoholism. Sure, drinking too much can be dangerous in the sense that it can lead to accidents and health problems. But one major danger of excessive alcohol consumption is the alcohol induced blackout, which perhaps doesn't get discussed as much as it should.

What is an alcohol induced blackout?

An alcohol induced blackout is not to be confused with "passing out". When a person passes out from drinking too much, he or she simply loses consciousness and sleeps it off. Blackouts occur when a person consumes so much booze that he or she suffers long term memory impairment. Blackouts do not necessarily happen when a person is unconscious; in fact, they may walking and talking during their episode of amnesia. But later, they won't be able to remember things that happened during the blackout.

The two kinds of blackouts

Typically, there are two different kinds of alcohol induced blackouts, en bloc and fragmentary. En bloc blackouts are also referred to as "complete" blackouts because they refer to an inability to remember anything at all during a period of drunkenness. A person who experiences an en bloc blackout can appear to be completely conscious. He or she can carry on conversations and even complete complicated tasks, such as driving a car or cooking a meal. But he or she won't be able to remember anything about the experience later. Additionally, a person who is experiencing an en bloc blackout has short term memory and can remember things that have happened during the last few minutes, but he or she will not be able to recall anything from before then.

Fragmentary or partial blackouts, also referred to as "brownouts", are much more common than en bloc blackouts are. A person who experiences a fragmentary blackout will remember certain things that happened during a period of alcoholic intoxication, but he or she will not remember everything. A person who has experienced a fragmentary blackout generally won't realize he or she is missing memories until someone else brings it to their attention.

The period of memory loss for both types of blackouts can be as short as a few minutes or as long as several hours. Measuring the time period of memory loss can be difficult, since many people who have blackouts fall asleep before the blackout period ends.

What causes blackouts?

Blackouts tend to occur when a person ingests a large amount of alcohol in a very short period of time. A person who downs several shots of potent liquor within a few minutes is much more likely to experience a blackout than someone who drinks the same amount or even more over the course of several hours. Blackouts are thought to be more likely to happen when a person's blood alcohol content increases very rapidly. Some people also appear to be more genetically inclined to suffer blackouts than others are, particularly if they are an alcoholic or a close family member suffers from alcoholism.

Why are blackouts dangerous?

Blackouts can be very dangerous for a number of reasons. First of all, a person experiencing a blackout is likely to be completely conscious, yet under the influence of a large amount of alcohol. Alcohol lowers a person's inhibitions as it impairs their judgment. A person who is experiencing a blackout may attempt to engage in high risk activities that they ordinarily would have the proper judgment not to try. Someone experiencing an alcohol induced blackout might try to drive a car, operate heavy machinery, commit crimes, get in fights, or behave in a sexually promiscuous manner, putting themselves and others at risk.

Women are more likely to suffer blackouts because they are often physically smaller than men are and process alcohol differently than men do. For this reason, women may be more likely to be injured or become a victim of a crime while suffering a blackout. Women should be especially careful about drinking too much alcohol too quickly.

Blackouts are also dangerous because they indicate that a person may have a problem with alcohol abuse. Excessive alcohol consumption can be detrimental to one's physical and mental health. Too much drinking can lead to chronic diseases, accidents, legal problems, interpersonal problems and death. Too much drinking and suffering blackouts can further complicate and make these problems much more likely to happen.

Avoiding blackouts

For some people, alcohol induced blackouts can happen even when a person's overall alcohol consumption is relatively low. In order to completely avoid the risk of an alcohol induced blackout, it's necessary to completely avoid consuming alcohol. But those who still want to drink can still take steps to greatly reduce their risk of alcohol induced blackouts.

Remember that blackouts are most likely to occur when a person's blood alcohol content rapidly increases. Drinking alcoholic beverages slowly over a long period of time may go a long way in reducing the risk of an alcohol induced blackout, especially if the alcoholic beverages are coupled with food.

Never drink alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach. Food helps slow the process of becoming drunk, which will make a blackout less likely.

Drink mixed drinks, beer, or wine. If you must drink a shot of straight liquor, consider sipping it slowly rather than gulping it down. Give your body time to absorb and process the alcohol.

And remember that when you do plan to drink to excess, it pays to have a sober friend nearby to serve as a designated driver and help you avoid making bad decisions while under the influence.

Sources:

http://www.unh.edu/health-services/ohep/alcohol_blackouts.html

http://addictiontreatmentchallenges.com/alcoholism/alcohol-blackout-types-of-alcohol-blackouts-how-they-work-and-the-consequences