What Happens In Your Brain When You're Blackout Drunk

What actually happens in your brain when you blackout drunk? You weren't asleep. You weren't unconscious. You were talking, laughing, making decisions—and none of it was saved.
In this video, we explore the neuroscience behind alcohol-induced blackouts: how your hippocampus stops encoding memories, why some people black out faster than others, and what blackouts reveal about memory, identity, and the self you think you are.
This isn't just about drinking too much. It's about what memory actually is—and what happens when the thread that stitches your moments into a story gets cut.
What you'll learn: → Why your brain stops recording (not forgetting—never recording) → The difference between fragmentary and en bloc blackouts → How GABA and glutamate shut down memory formation → Why women reach blackout levels faster (it's biology, not tolerance) → The hidden long-term costs of repeated blackouts → What blackouts reveal about consciousness and identity
Sources:
White, A.M. "What Happened? Alcohol, Memory Blackouts, and the Brain." Alcohol Research & Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Wetherill, R.R. & Fromme, K. "Alcohol-Induced Blackouts: A Review of Recent Clinical Research with Practical Implications." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Izumi, Y., Tokuda, K., & Zorumski, C.F. "The Biology Behind Alcohol-Induced Blackouts." The Journal of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Interrupted Memories: Alcohol-Induced Blackouts"
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "Alcohol and the Adolescent Brain"
Hermens, D.F. et al. "Binge Drinking and the Young Brain: A Mini Review of the Neurobiological Underpinnings of Alcohol-Induced Blackout." Frontiers in Psychology
Meda, S.A. et al. "Longitudinal Effects of Alcohol Consumption on the Hippocampus and Parahippocampus in College Students." Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
Scientific American. "What Causes Alcohol-Induced Blackouts?"
Frezza, M. et al. "High Blood Alcohol Levels in Women: The Role of Decreased Gastric Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity and First-Pass Metabolism." The New England Journal of Medicine
Bowling Green State University. "Factors That Affect Intoxication"
Subscribe for more videos on the psychology and neuroscience behind everyday experiences—explained honestly, without the fluff.