Alcohol and Blackouts
01/02/2010
Alcohol blackouts don’t refer to fainting (although that can happen to), they are when someone has memory loss because of heavy, rapid drinking.
Blackouts often happen when a lot of alcohol is drunk quickly over a short period of time, especially if not enough food is eaten. The same volume of alcohol drunk throughout the night with a meal is less likely to cause a blackout, although it can still happen.
When a blackout occurs, the person will often have memory loss from the night before. Sometimes the whole evening after a certain point will be missing, where other times just snippets will be missing.
The short-term memory is not usually affected as badly as the longer-term memory. People will remember what happened a few minutes or hours ago but may not remember what they did when they were drinking or how they got home.
Alcohol blackouts should not be taken lightly. They are a sign of drinking too much and can put individuals in dangerous situations. Alcohol is known to make some people lose their inhibitions and some people are no longer fully in control of their actions when they have been drinking heavily. When someone forgets what’s happened the night before they are likely to feel worried and possibly embarrassed.
To make sure you don’t have an alcohol blackout you should drink no alcohol whatsoever. However, if you want to drink a little you should make sure you drink slowly and that you eat a good meal before you drink or whilst you are drinking. Drink steadily within the recommended alcohol limits and never down drinks.
Choose weaker drinks like beer and lager over stronger spirits and always have a mixer if you do have spirits. Have water or soft drinks as well as alcoholic ones during the night to avoid getting drunk and blacking out.
