A period when a person is awake and functioning while intoxicated but later cannot remember all or part of what happened.
In the context of addiction treatment:
Blackouts are a warning sign of serious alcohol involvement and brain risk, even if the person doesn’t drink every day.
What to know:
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Blackouts are caused by memory “recording” being disrupted, not by passing out.
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People can drive, have sex, or get into fights during blackouts and have no memory later.
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Frequent blackouts are a strong signal to seek help for alcohol use.
Example:
A person wakes up with photos on their phone and messages they don’t remember sending after heavy drinking the night before.