Essay Sample on Unraveling the Hazards: Exploring the Consequences of Alcohol-Induced Blackouts

Alcohol blackout is a consequence of heavy consumption of alcohol. Blackout generally means loss of memory which is mostly caused by fast increment in blood alcohol control (BAC) levels. At times this is referred to as alcohol-induced amnesia. Blackouts cause people problems in forming new long-term memories while still maintaining other skills, for instance, talking. Effects of alcohol on memory vary among different people depending on BAC levels that lead to blackouts. Normally for blackout inducement, the BAC level must be 0.16% twice the required limit (Hermens & Lagopoulos, 2020). Blackouts are mostly associated with alcohol consumption but can also be triggered by factors such as fainting, low blood pressure, epileptic seizure, and oxygen restrictions.

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Alcohol alters the body's functioning, including the ability to speak, remember events, walk, and react well. Excessive consumption also affects decision-making, decreases inhibition, and hinders the control of impulses. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is highly affected by alcohol. Despite the ability of the brain to sustain long-term tolerance to alcoholic substances, the hippocampus fails to develop tolerance. No memories can be created when a person blackouts. An individual is in a position to perform other activities without recording any memory (Sclar, 2020).

There are two types of blackouts associated with excessive consumption of alcohol. These include complete and partial blackouts. Complete blackout, which is also referred to as en bloc, entails a total loss of memory in that the person can hardly remember circumstances that took place. If an individual has a complete blackout, it is difficult for the person to recall any activity even if the mind is jogged. Involvement of cues least helps the recovery of a complete blackout person (Hermens & Lagopoulos, 2020). The person may take more than two days to get back the memory to normality.

The other type of blackout is the partial blackout. It is also referred to as fragmentary blackout. This is the most common type of blackout where an individual does not completely forget the events that happened. Individuals suffering from partial blackout can recall some of the activities that happened before and forget others. However, the few that they cannot remember can be retrieved by verbal and visual cues (Sclar, 2020).

Blackouts are associated with various risks. These may range from financial, personal, legal, and academic consequences. Firstly, binge drinking has been associated with poor academic performance. This is common among youths in higher learning institutions. The youths in these institutions have more exposure to alcoholic substances during various events such as partying, watching football, and more. Research indicates that students involved in binge drinking to the extent of blackout have impaired memory (Hermens & Lagopoulos, 2020). They not only find it hard to learn but also memorize what they are taught. These are essential neurocognitive processes for a student, and a deficit in them may make studying difficult. In such a scenario, maintaining a significant academic position and performance might be impossible. Blackout among drinking students dims the probability of anticipated success inside and outside class.

Secondly, blackout leads to various personal consequences, especially in health matters. These may vary from short-term effects to long-term effects if a blackout occurs frequently. Some of the short-term effects of blackout include mental health problems. People may experience anxiety and depression that mostly occur from a traumatizing encounter during the blackout. Another effect is physical injury since most drunk people engage in violence due to brain impairment. These fights may cause injuries to the body (Sclar, 2020). Physical injury may also be a result of accidents when operating machines or driving while drunk and blacked out.

Other effects include poor judgments such as unsafe sex which may result in sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies. These unwanted pregnancies are mostly followed by poor outcomes such as stillbirth, miscarriage, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Binge drinking that leads to blacking out is also associated with long-term effects. The person may suffer from chronic diseases such as heart disease, certain types of cancers, and infections such as pneumonia. Another long-term health problem associated with blackout is a general loss of memory which might take years to recover. Frequent blackout makes an individual have a hard time forming memories, even the recent ones (Hermens & Lagopoulos, 2020).

Moreover, blackouts are associated with legal consequences. Due to impaired judgments and poor decision, many individual faces financial predicaments. In a situation where someone has blacked out, they may be forced to carry out money transactions that are irrelevant leading to losses. Robbers may also take advantage of people who black out to steal from them since they will not be aware of the activity taking place. Additionally, the more alcoholic substances a person takes to the extent of blacking out, the higher the price for the drinks and the more financially depleted someone becomes. Most of these alcoholic substances are expensive, and if a person does not manage their finances well, they might end up bankrupt (Sclar, 2020).

Also, blacked-out people face legal consequences since they make impaired judgments. There is a higher risk of more illegal activities happening when drunk. These may include, assault, sexual encounters, violence, driving while drunk, and other actions that are run-ins with the law. Poor decision-making may lead a person to engage in unnecessary fights, damage to people's properties, rape cases, and accidents which are against the laws governing most countries. Such encounters land the individual in trouble with the law.

Alcohol blackout drinking both partial and complete is associated with many repercussions. These effects may last for a short while others may be lifetime consequences. Apart from the personal effects, blackout leads to poor financial decisions, illegal activities, and poor academic performances. Blackouts may not be an issue to worry about, but frequent blackouts may lead to unresolvable consequences.

References

Hermens, D., & Lagopoulos, J. (2020). Binge Drinking and the Young Brain: A Mini-Review of the Neurobiological Underpinnings of Alcohol-Induced Blackout. American Addiction Centers. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00012

Sclar, K. (2020). Blackout Drinking: Causes, Effects, Dangers | Too Much Alcohol. Luxury.rehabs.com. https://luxury.rehabs.com/alcohol-abuse/blackouts/.