Blackouts – Are They Real or Just an Excuse?
Alcohol-induced blackouts – how can they possibly not know what they did?
What is it about drinking that results in a blackout – not remembering what was said or done the night before?
How many times have you found yourself uttering incredulous gasps, “What do you mean you don’t remember?” or engaging in an argument with someone you care about because of something they said or did while they were drunk? Have you ever had them just stare at you, stone faced, as if to challenge your recollection and/or flip it around to somehow being “your fault,” something you’d simply dreamed up or were blowing all out of proportion?
Surprisingly, perhaps, your loved one might incapable of remembering their behaviors while intoxicated – even if they were fully “there,” (meaning not passed out but still standing, talking, doing ‘stuff’). This is because they’ve likely experienced an alcohol-induced blackout.
Aaron M. White, Ph.D, wrote in his publication, “What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts and the Brain,” published on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s website, “Alcohol interferes with the ability to form new long-term memories…. Large amounts of alcohol, particularly if consumed rapidly, can produce partial (fragmentary) or complete (en bloc) blackouts. Blackouts are much more common among social drinkers – including college drinkers — than previously assumed, and have been found to encompass events ranging from conversations to intercourse.” [emphasis added]
People who experience “fragmentary blackouts” while intoxicated often don’t remember all of what they said or did until they are reminded of their behaviors. People who experience “en bloc” blackouts are unable to recall any details whatsoever – even if prodded and taken through a sequence of events, blow-by-blow, they just don’t remember.
So how is it they have enough mental capability to talk or drive or get into a fight or vandalize a building or have unprotected sex but then not remember it the next day?
Several factors contribute to blackouts, but two of the key contributors are gulping drinks and drinking on an empty stomach. Each of these contributes to a rapid rise in BAC (blood alcohol content), and it’s the rapid rise in BAC that gets in the way of the brain’s ability “to transfer information from short-term to long-term storage.” According to extensive research on this phenomenon, the brain can capture information in short-term memory while intoxicated (at least for a few seconds, anyway), which is why the person can carry on a conversation or drive (albeit erratically], but the information relevant to these events does not transfer to long-term memory storage.
Blackouts Are Not to Be Excused
Having said all this, please know that I’m not trying to excuse a person’s drinking behaviors by labeling it a blackout, as in, “Oh well, they can’t remember, so it’s not their fault.” Absolutely not! In fact, blackouts are a prime example of the drinking behaviors that cause secondhand drinking (the negative impacts of a person’s drinking behaviors on others).
Rather, I’m sharing this information because understanding alcohol-induced blackouts may help you avoid the useless arguments about what a person does or doesn’t remember, and it may help the person whose drinking resulted in an alcohol-induced blackout accept that, in fact, “I really could have done that!”
Lastly, this information points to the importance of avoiding binge drinking (in order to avoid a rapid rise in BAC). Binge drinking is defined as 4 or more standard drinks for women and 5 or more standard drinks for men.
Check out my article, “Understand How the Body Processes Alcohol, Reduce Secondhand Drinking,” and visit NIAAA’s website, Rethinking Drinking, for more on drinking patterns, standard drinks, standard drinks/cocktail or container, and tips for cutting down should you be experiencing blackouts.
To read Aaron M. White, Ph.D.’s article, “What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts, and the Brain,” click here.
Lisa Frederiksen
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This was eye-opening for me, Lisa. My son who is in recovery was never a drinker, so he never experienced blackouts. And when I drank, I never had a blackout, either. On the other hand, my father was an alcoholic for most of his life, and he would talk about blacking out. I guess I just never knew exactly what he was talking about. (And, at the time, I didn’t care.) Also, secondhand drinking is such a real thing. My whole family suffered for many years because of my dad’s alcoholism. It’s a family disease, for sure.
I agree, Dean, it’s such a family disease! Learning about the science of blackouts was hugely helpful for me. I could never understand how they could do the things they did while drinking and then claim not to remember the next day. But as I said in the post, it’s not an excuse and hopefully those who experience blackouts will do everything they can to change their drinking patterns so they do not occur.
Lisa, thanks for reminding us that, while these blackouts may actually occur, no one needs to be excused for their behaviors regardless of whether they remember or not. The convenience or reality of not remembering our actions from drinking doesn’t relieve anyone of responsibility for the outcomes of those activities. Too often we compensate for these behaviors because they had “too much to drink” as if that justifies the actions. Nothing really makes these actions acceptable even if they didn’t know they did it.
I couldn’t AGREE more, Dave!!! And, as you know, there are so many excuses for all sorts of drinking behaviors, “he hadn’t eaten,” “she had cocktails – normally, she just drinks wine”… But as I remind people, we would never excuse the behaviors (driving while impaired, saying mean, inappropriate things at the dinner table) if they had six glasses of water instead of six glasses of wine.
Great information here, Lisa Binge drinking can be such an issue for some young people, but seems to be a continual problem at some college campuses. With the added danger of black outs, they are really putting their lives at risk. So much negative behavior can occur when binge drinking is an issue. With the holidays soon upon us, this is an important reminder to be aware of drinking behaviors that can cause harm.
And often people who binge drink forget that even though they may not engage in behaviors harmful to others, they are still vulnerable to the harm of another’s drinking behaviors – for example, they might “think” it’s okay to drive with someone else whose been drinking because their own “thinking” is completely gone due to alcohol’s interruption of normal brain function, which puts them in grave danger, even though they’re not the driver. I appreciate your comment, Cathy!
I always enjoy reading what you have to say, Lisa. Kind of fits how my mind works – lots of explanation/reason, yet emotion plays, as well. I’ve never wondered if blackouts are the real deal, ’cause I’ve experienced them (as I remember?). Very disturbing, and I’m thankful I never hurt anyone in the midst. I’m with you – as much as blackouts are real, no excuses allowed! I mean, heck – it’s not as though they occur arbitrarily. Nope, they’re generated by inappropriate decision-making and behavior.
As always, thank you, Lisa…
Bill
You said it all, Bill! I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your wisdom and experience.
[…] Blackouts – Are They Real or Just an Excuse? […]
Hi All,
My partner has physically attacked me and last Sunday showed me down the stair case and then stood on top of me and continued to punch and kick me. My only grace is that I’m ok, God to thank for that. But the next day, he asked me what happened. Why was I not talking to him, and the likes. I’m so confused. Is it really true or possible that he did not know what he was doing at the time and not remember any of it? I don’t know. But all I know is, I could have been killed from his actions. I’m having him move out of my apartment, which he refuses to go. So now I have to get the police involved. All so crazy. Please shed some light on his behavior at the time and next day. Thank you.
It is true they might not remember what they have done, HOWEVER that does not mean you have to tolerate the behaviors your partner exhibits when drinking. You are right, you could have been seriously hurt. This quote, “As the amount of alcohol consumed increases, so does the magnitude of the memory impairments. Large amounts of alcohol, particularly if consumed rapidly, can produce partial (i.e., fragmentary) or complete (i.e., en bloc) blackouts, which are periods of memory loss for events that transpired while a person was drinking,” is taken from this resource: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm.
How much of what was said or done during their blackout period is truth, surfacing from a deeper psychological place because there’s no filters now, or that when sober they could control verbally expressing it?
That’s difficult to say, Pat, but generally the behaviors are due to the interruptions in cell-to-cell communications, so if the person does not behave that way when sober, the blackout behavior is likely due to these interruptions. Here is a post that explains some of the science http://www.breakingthecycles.com/blog/2012/06/18/alcohol-induced-memory-blackouts-explained/
I am sorry this happened to you. Something similar happened to me this past weekend, but luckily it was all verbal and not physical. My boyfriend doesn’t have memory of it either and says he doesn’t mean any of the things he said. At the time I was sure that I would force him to move out, but he has agreed to never drink again. I just don’t understand how a person can change into a completely different person just by drinking. I wish I could be sure that he doesn’t mean any of things he said.
Do they mean what they say on a blackout? I don’t know. I really wish I knew. Sometimes I think they do. But what ever the answer — it really hurts and the more they say it. The harder it is too forget. They may not remember, but I do.
*if they say it will not happen again, and it does, and it does again* RUN get away from them, they will only continue to break your heart, or kill you. Please Run, Please Get Them Out Of Your Life.Before it is too late. Remember U R Love by others.
Hi Ana – I’m terribly sorry to hear what you are going through. Hhere is a link to a more recent article on blackouts – it may help with your question, http://www.breakingthecycles.com/blog/2017/01/17/alcohol-induced-blackouts/ But to your point, “it really hurts…They may not remember, but I do,” this post on forgiving an alcoholic (NOT that I’m saying your loved one is an alcoholic) may help, http://www.breakingthecycles.com/blog/2009/09/15/choosing-to-forgive-an-alcoholic/ Take care, Lisa
I blackout I said did thing I would never do or saying because that’s not me that mean everything said and do that person I’m
I am a late commenter on this post, but I have been struggling understanding “black out drunk” and how it can just allow for a person to throw their love and ideals in the trash. The love of my life cheated on me a few weeks ago after being black out drunk, his friends informed him of what he did, and he has a few snips of it in his head. He did come forward and tell me, and says he never would have made that decision if he wasn’t so impaired. He claims he doesn’t even remember making the decision…… it is just hard for me to understand how this can be. But thanks for this post, it did give me a few thoughts of reassurance.
You’re so welcome, Kris. To better understand how drinking causes such radical changes in a person’s normal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, you may want to read my latest book, “10th Anniversary Edition If You Loved Me, You’d Stop! What you really need to know when your loved one drinks too much.” It’s available on Amazon in paperback and kindle versions. https://www.amazon.com/10th-Anniversary-Loved-Youd-Stop/dp/0981684483