There are many different causes of blackout – it might be an effect of drugs or alcohol, a problem with circulation, or a problem within the brain, such as epilepsy. It may not be serious, but it is important to see your doctor and try to establish the underlying cause.
Aside from the sex differences, there could be a genetic component to who is more likely to blackout. Individuals whose mothers had a history of alcohol problems were found to be more at risk. Another study, this time on more than 1,000 pairs of twins, found that a genetic link accounted for half the blackouts.
Alcohol-related blackouts are gaps in a person's memory for events that occurred while they were intoxicated. 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.
Many people, including doctors, assume that blackouts are due to epileptic seizures, but much more commonly they are due to syncope (pronounced sin-co-pee) – a type of blackout which is caused by a problem in the regulation of blood pressure or sometimes with the heart.
Answer: Blacking out is a loss of memory - not being able to remember what happened because your brain has lost the ability to form new memories due to intoxication. Passing out is losing consciousness and not being able to be awakened.
Short And Long-term Effects Of Blacking Out
Short-term effects of blacking out include mental health problems, including depression or anxiety, or physical problems, such as physical injuries. Other consequences include financial or legal trouble due to engaging in risky behavior while in a blackout.
If your stomach is completely empty, it's easier for alcohol to slip right into your system and impact you much quicker. It can also depend on what type of food you're eating. Some believe that eating low-fat or fat-free foods can impact how drunk you get and how quickly.
With no gag reflex, a person who drinks to the point of passing out is in danger of choking on their vomit and dying from a lack of oxygen (i.e., asphyxiation). Even if the person survives, an alcohol overdose like this can lead to long-lasting brain damage.
Stress and anxiety are the most common causes of psychogenic blackouts. This can be due to chronic stresses, such as being foreclosed on or having someone close to you pass away. Psychogenic blackouts are, however, more commonly associated with a single stressful event.
In fact, the study suggests that the idea that you turn into a “different person” when you drink is a myth. The psychologists stated that it's simply possible people expect to behave differently when they're drunk, and therefore psychologically influence their own behaviour.
A blackout generally does not mean that you have damaged your brain. However, long-term brain damage is a side effect of alcohol use. If a person builds a tolerance to alcohol and blacks out often from drinking, this can be harmful. They may show symptoms that mimic memory loss with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
When a person is blacked out, the brain continues to process information but is incapable of forming new memories due to this reaction. All blackouts are not the same and can be distinguished by the severity of amnesia experienced.
Blackouts increase with age, social class and the frequency of intoxication.
A person in a blackout will not remember something that happened a few minutes ago. Thus, if the person doesn't seem to know what you are talking about or has no memory of what happened, assume they are in a blackout and do NOT leave them alone.
Dehydration leads to fainting spells by reducing your circulating blood volume, making it harder for the body to deliver adequate blood to your vital organs including your brain.
Alcohol intolerance is a problem with the specific enzyme that helps your body metabolize alcohol.
People who don't get drunk
But in reality, if someone drinks a lot and never seems to get drunk, they have developed a high tolerance for alcohol. Tolerance occurs because of your body's remarkable ability to process alcohol.
Lightweights have receptors that overreact to even the smallest amount of alcohol. For others, the receptor takes a long time to be stimulated. This can lead to binge drinking and alcoholism. Researchers think increasing the receptor's sensitivity could prevent people from drinking too much.
They know what they're doing — alcohol just makes them care less about the consequences. Via Healthzone: A new study says that people who commit blunders while under the influence of alcohol know they're doing it; they just don't care.
“When you're passed out, you're not awake. A blackout happens to someone who's still conscious but they're not coding any new memories,” explains Dr. Streem. “A person who has a blackout is still awake and they have some ability to think, but other parts of their brain may not be working well enough.