Drinking too much increases the risk of developing certain types of cancers and infections like pneumonia.įor many people, blacking out once is a frightening experience that leads to changes in drinking patterns. Other long-term problems that are associated with regular binge drinking include liver damage and liver disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, pancreatitis, and a weakened immune system. An alcohol use disorder is a long-term issue that must be treated and managed for years to avoid relapsing. For instance, the more frequently a person drinks to blackout, the more likely he or she is to develop an alcohol use disorder. Doing it repeatedly can be a real problem and can contribute to significant long-term health problems. The more alcohol consumed, the more severe the long-term memory loss.ĭrinking enough to black out is drinking too much and can be considered binge drinking. They may repeat themselves for this reason, but otherwise seem to be functioning well. The way alcohol impacts the hippocampus means that a person in a blackout can remember what is happening around them for a few minutes, but then the memory is gone. This may explain why most people in a blackout state are not actually passed out and often appear to be in control and fully aware. It does not destroy older memories but simply disrupts the process of forming new ones. Alcohol seems to disrupt the process of turning short-term memories into long-term memories. This brain region is where new memories are formed and stored. Factors like gender, size, what someone has eaten, the strength and size of drinks, and speed of drinking affect how much alcohol it takes to reach levels that can lead to blackouts.Īlcohol acts in the brain in several ways, but in terms of memory loss it is the disruption of the hippocampus that is thought to be the root cause. This is well over the BAC, 0.08, at which a person is considered to be inebriated and unable to drive in most states. In general, blackouts occur when a person’s blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, reaches 0.20 to 0.30. How much alcohol it takes to cause a blackout varies depending on each individual. A blackout is a period of memory loss and it can be caused by drinking too much alcohol too fast.
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