Alcoholic Blackouts: The Big Lie
Dr. Neill Neill
The subject of alcoholic blackouts is a controversial one. The argument that a person was in an alcoholic blackout and didn't know what he was doing at the time has been used in court successfully to help people avoid the legal consequence of their actions. Lawyers have used the argument of the alcoholic blackout to help a man avoid the legal consequences of beating his wife to death or of killing someone while driving drunk.
For someone to be convicted of a crime he has to know the difference between right and wrong at the time of the crime. When he goes to court and has no recollection of the incident, his lawyer argues that he was not conscious of what he was doing when he committed the crime.
A convenient lie!
There is no doubt that alcohol affects memory. When alcohol abuse continues for a few years and/or regularly leads to severe intoxication, the alcoholic gets to the point where he cannot recall some or all of the events of the previous evening of drinking. Blackouts are one of the symptoms of alcoholism.
The time about which he cannot remember anything — the memory blackout — is called "the alcoholic blackout." It is a gap in memory, and the more chronic the alcoholism the larger and more complete are these gaps in memory.
I have been close to men who suffer alcoholic blackouts because of their alcoholism. Most of the blackouts are benign, that is, nothing unusual happens while they are drinking. But they just don't remember anything from the time they started drinking until they wake up at home in the morning.
They don't remember their very rational decision to go to another bar when it looked like there was going to be a fight in the bar they were in. They don't remember getting far too drunk to drive home and calling a taxi. But they were quite conscious of what they were doing at the time.
Less benign was a friend (now deceased) who was very strong and generally dangerous, having spent more of his life in jail than not. He would get into a fight while intoxicated and attempt to beat his adversary to death. At the time, he said he knew what he was doing and he wanted to kill his victim. He knew it was wrong, but he just didn't care. The only thing stopping him was his buddies physically pulling him away and restraining him. The next morning he would remember nothing of what happened.
I knew another violent alcoholic who made arrangements with the local police to let him come to the jail and sleep it off if he was becoming too murderous. Even when extremely intoxicated, he would make a conscious decision not to kill, but to go to the jail instead. When he would wake up in the jail, he would have no idea of whether he had been arrested for a crime or had gone to the jail voluntarily.
In my experience the alcoholic blackout is about blocked memory alone, not about whether people know the difference between right and wrong when intoxicated. They do know the difference, but don't care.
Is the alcoholic blackout just a convenient excuse for bad behaviour? You be the judge.
Filed under Symptoms of Alcoholism by Dr. Neill Neill
Comments on Alcoholic Blackouts: The Big Lie »
recovering alcoholic @ 10:06 pm
I have too suffered from blackouts during heavy drinking. I do things that I don’t remember. These things I do is against my better judgment. I would never even think of doing these things when sober. It’s like a dr.jeckle/hyde moment. I don’t recalll any of it, sometimes only blurred fragments, but it is not like me at all. I was physically abused from violence as a kid, and I think it may be a subconcience reaction. I love my family and friends.
Priscilla @ 7:28 pm
I think sometimes the drinker overdrinks on purpose (necessarily, you might say) to reach the point where he can exert extreme responses that he does not allow himself to exert while sober. I know “blackouters” who have committed violent acts and felony crimes then sober up to be very nice polite normal people. In my opinion, they need to learn to express and assert while sober, then will be able to get by in life without having to become drunk enough to let their angry side come out.
Rose @ 12:17 pm
Hi, I was searching for information on alcoholic blackouts. I’m 34 yrs old married , mother of 2. I will typically get a blackout between 1 or every other month. It is usually at a social event with friends or family. Those who have experienced this with me are shocked when it happens because they say I am functioning fine then all of a sudden, I start to pass out and throw up everywhere and scream at anyone who tries to help me cause I don’t want to be moved. I have no recollection of that or up to hours before I throw up and after. It shocking to hear the things I have said or done while in a blackout. People can’t believe it cause I am functioning to them. No one can seem to figure out my limit because sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. I do know that I drink pretty fast, I don’t sip. I try to think if I didn’t eat that day or what might have contributed to the blackout. I first had blackouts in high school, but not too frequent. Just in the past 2 1/2 years it seems to happen a lot…too much. I constantly call the next day to say I’m sorry for things I don’t remember. I know I should just quit drinking, but everyone I know does and they can have a few and be fine. I just keep going. Sometimes I can just have a few, I don’t know why every other or every other few times I go into a binge. I wouldn’t consider myself an alcoholic, I don’t drink everyday but out of all my friends and family..I am the only one who gets to the blackout stage. How can I control this? Any suggestions? Thank you.
Stephen @ 8:27 am
If you black out, that means you have a drinking problem or potential drinking problem. You dont know when to say when. Its not uncommon, in fact it is so common most people will not think that it is in fact a problem. When you drink in large amounts you impair your brain so much that you are erasing its ability to store memories of your owne actions. The only other thing that can do this is a serious blow to the head. So that gives you some clue as to the damage you are doing. Also, your brain probably hides some of the memories as you dont really want to know what you did. Then your friends call and tell you and you feel awful. If this keeps happening, you need to quit drinking or you will end up in jail or the hospital or maybe even the morgue. Sorry but the truth hurts.
danny @ 5:18 pm
if you want to control blackouts, you have to quit drinking, you cant 'control' drinking this way, i stopped because i was sick of not remembering and waking up in a panic, go to AA.