[24]A drug-related blackout is
a phenomenon caused by
the intake of any substance or medication in which short-term and long-term
memory creation is impaired, therefore causing a complete inability to recall
the past
Blackouts can generally be divided into 2
categories, "en bloc" blackouts and "fragmentary"
blackouts
. En bloc blackouts are classified by the inability to later recall
any memories from the intoxication period, even when prompted. These blackouts
are characterized also by the ability to easily recall things that have
occurred within the last 2 minutes, yet being unable to recall anything prior
to this period. As such, a person experiencing an en bloc blackout may not
appear to be doing so, as they can carry on conversations or even manage to
accomplish difficult feats. It is difficult to determine the end of this type
of blackout as sleep typically occurs before they end,
Although it is possible for an en bloc blackout to end if the sufferer
has stopped drinking in the meantime. Fragmentary blackouts are characterized
by a person having the ability to recall certain events from an intoxicated
period, and yet being unaware that other memories are missing until reminded of
the existence of those 'gaps' in memory.
Research indicates that such
fragmentary blackouts, also known as brownouts, are far more common than en
bloc blackouts.[
Memory impairment during acute intoxication involves
dysfunction of episodic memory, a type of memory encoded with spatial and
social context.
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