Not only “crime scene” detectives occasionally have to deal with total blackouts, alcohol-related “film tears” are also a well-known inconvenience among the normal population. The day after the party, those affected often have no memory of several hours – even though they can be proven to have spoken to others and physically moved through the situation during this period. But what exactly happens in the brain during such a blackout?
In higher doses, alcohol has a sedating effect, makes you tired and limits the ability of the brain to function. When the film breaks, this goes so far that the brain can no longer form new memories over a certain period of time and can no longer store what has been experienced.
As the science magazine “Spektrum” reports, a distinction is made between such “alcohol induced blackouts” between fragmented blackouts and so-called “en bloc” blackouts. In the former case, those affected can still remember some parts of the situation. It is not uncommon for them to only become aware that parts are missing when someone points it out to them. In “en bloc” blackouts, however, longer time windows completely disappear without a shred of memory.
As research has now shown, the reason for these “film tears” is primarily that excessive alcohol consumption inhibits the transfer of information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
This explains why drunk people are often still able to hold conversations, but the next day they can’t even remember that the conversation even took place. Scientific studies have shown that this is due to impaired nerve cell communication, where alcohol alters the activity of some cell receptors.
From a blood alcohol level of 1.5 per mille, the likelihood of a blackout increases dramatically. However, in addition to the amount of alcohol consumed, other factors also play a role. The speed at which the blood alcohol level increases has a major influence on the course of a night of partying.
The faster your blood alcohol level rises, the higher your chance of blacking out. Anyone who pours down large amounts of hard liquor within a very short period of time on an empty stomach can be almost certain that the film will break. In addition, women, on average, blackout more quickly than men because their bodies process alcohol differently due to differences in body weight.
The following applies not only to Viennese “crime scene” inspectors: “Know your limit,” as the Federal Center for Health Education also recommends in its campaign of the same name.
