Alcohol Blackouts

She doesn’t remember any of the conversations she had last night. She doesn’t remember driving home from the party. She had an alcohol blackout. She’s eighteen.

“I remember drinking a lot and then the next day not remembering anything that happened and like having my friends having to tell me what happened,” said Annie.

She’s not alone. An estimated 10% -20% of teens have experienced at least one alcohol blackout. An alcohol blackout usually follows binge drinking. A person experiencing an alcohol blackout can communicate, function and even drive a car, but a portion of their brain is asleep.

“When you’re in a blackout you literally have to put that significant portions of your cortex to sleep, to the point where you have no recollection or no memory the next day of what you did,” said Dr. Robert Margolis, Ph.D. Psychology.

Experts warned that excessive drinking can cause alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal.

Not remembering the party she attended the night before scared Annie out of attempting another out of control drinking episode, but some kids don’t get the message that clearly .

What Parents Should Know

Talking to your kids about alcohol is still the most recommended “first step” for parents in dealing with prevention. In order to take full advantage of “the talk” parents must first be educated themselves.

There are some common reasons that kids decide to drink, or take other similar risks. The desire to feel grown-up sends many kids imitating adults, therefore parents should monitor their actions accordingly.

Also, most children are risk takers. Experts said that the desire to take risks is natural, but the hunger for adventure can be satisfied in an array of different manners. If parents help children find a safer outlet, the tendency to drink alcohol may not be as great.

Peer pressure is one of the strongest influences on kids. It is hard for a parent to counteract peer pressure, but experts suggested that parents monitor whom their kid’s friends are. Also, a self-confident child is less likely to fall to the pressures of peers.

Kids are curious. If they know nothing about alcohol, their curiosity could get the best of them. Sitting down and having that uncomfortable conversation may give them enough information to keep their curiosity at bay.