Addiction Alcohol Use Print How Getting Blackout Drunk Blocks New Memories From Forming Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on July 18, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Written by facebook twitter Written by Buddy T Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Updated on September 29, 2019 Yoann JEZEQUEL Photography / Getty Images More in Addiction Alcohol Use Binge Drinking Withdrawal and Relapse Children of Alcoholics Drunk Driving Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Have you ever drank so much alcohol that you could not remember parts from the night before? Maybe you cannot remember how you got home. Perhaps your friends tell you that you were the life of the party, dancing the night away or you woke up somewhere you wished you had not. Or, even worse, maybe you wound up in jail and you have no idea why you were arrested? If this sounds familiar, then chances are you experienced an alcohol-induced blackout. Blackouts can last a few minutes or for several hours. They can occur in females and males, all people, young and old. Blackouts are real. Blackouts Are Real and Affect Your Brain's Ability to Learn Some people who have never had an alcohol-related blackout do not believe that they actually happen. They do not see how someone could carry on a detailed argument or behave outrageously and not remember a thing about it. They think blackouts are convenient excuses. But medicine and science tell us that blackouts are real. For many years, it was believed that drinking too much alcohol was killing brain cells or the neurons in the brain that receive signals, and that was the cause of memory loss. Now we know that too much alcohol in the body can trigger a chemical reaction in the brain that blocks the brain's ability to learn. The brain cells continue to process information and communicate with each other but are not capable of forming new memories. The Science Behind Alcohol and Formation of Memories A person cannot remember something that the brain did not record. Alcohol interferes with receptors in the brain that carry signals between neurons or brain cells. Alcohol affects some brain cells differently than others—it can inhibit some and later activate others—causing them to manufacture steroids that prevent memory formation. The steroids produced by the alcohol-affected brain cells can reduce the strength of the brain's connections between brain cells which is critical for learning and memory. The steroids interfere with synaptic plasticity or the brain's communication system of passing signals between cells. This communication system is a necessary component of memory formation. Drugs Can Also Cause Blackouts It takes a lot of alcohol to cause a blackout. Research shows that a moderate amount of alcohol does not affect the brain. However, combining alcohol with other drugs is much more likely to cause blackouts than alcohol alone or drugs alone. Blackouts Signal a Drinking Problem Blackout drinking is also considered a symptom of an alcohol problem. If you frequently drink to the point that you do not remember events from the night before, you may want to take an online quiz to see if your drinking has reached the level of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. If you find that you have developed a drinking problem, you may want to get help in cutting down or quitting altogether. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Tokuda K, et al Ethanol Enhances Neurosteroidogenesis in Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons by Paradoxical NMDA Receptor Activation. The Journal of Neuroscience, July 6, 2011. White, A, et al Experiential Aspects of Alcohol-Induced Blackouts Among College Students. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2004. Continue Reading