The New Facts on What Causes the Alcoholic Blackout
The alcoholic blackout is defined as a period of amnesia or memory loss that is caused when alcohol consumption levels prevent the formation of memories in the brain. The memory gap usually extends for many hours but can go on for several days. Interestingly, the person can act normally and carry on normal conversations during the period of blackout but will never remember anything that went on. Blackouts are sometimes referred to as alcohol poisoning by the medical community and are considered an early high-risk sign of alcoholism.
It is entirely possible for blackouts to occur after just a few drinks or even the first time a person drinks at all however, blackouts most generally occur in an alcoholic. Once the disease of alcoholism has become so severe that the person cannot function without drinking, and has lost complete control over sobriety, the blackouts take over. Blackouts are an indication of the severity of the alcoholism. In some cases, it can be the rise in the blood levels of alcohol and not the actual amount of alcohol itself that triggers the blackout. The presence of blackouts can definitely indicate severity of the alcoholism however; the absence of blackouts does not necessarily indicate that the person does not have a problem with alcohol.
There has been new evidence to show that blackouts can be connected to people with a previous head injury. In this case, the mere presence of alcohol can cause the blackout rather than the level of the alcohol.
The amount of alcohol in a standard size drink is approximately one ounce. Interestingly, the human body can process only once ounce of liquor in one hour. Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol even ten to twenty drinks in one sitting will cause the body to become overloaded and cannot process the alcohol efficiently. Signs that a person is in danger of a blackout include 1) major loss of motor control, 2) loss of good judgment, 3) slowing of breathing, 4) slowing of the heart rate, and 5) nausea. Another indication that a person is at the risk of beginning to blackout after drinking is the consistent development of a hangover. Hangovers can indicate that the person is drinking alcohol excessively and regularly and can be at risk for blackouts in the future.
Someone who is having regular blackouts can attempt to overcome their excessive drinking by cutting back on their alcohol intake, stop drinking alcohol or set limits on how much alcohol to drink in a sitting. These things can work but usually in the person who has just begun to have alcohol related blackouts. If these suggestions do not work it is a good idea for the person to solicit professional assistance. For many people this will mean joining a group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or some other twelve-step program that can help them get their drinking under control. Professional detoxification is another possibility and can be quite successful for the alcoholic who drinks until blacking out.
It is important for the alcoholic to understand why he or she is doing something as harmful himself or herself as drinking until blacking out. Even more importantly is to find a way to stop drinking to the point of blackout. For safety and health, the bottom line is to stop.
Recommended Reading
- The Bold, Hard Facts About Alcoholism
