Phenomenological Aspects of the Alcoholic “Blackout”

“Blackout”, a confusing term sometimes denoting amnesia and at other times unconsciousness, has come in the alcoholism literature to designate memory loss associated with drinking alcohol. That alcoholics frequently experience amnesic episodes has been recognized since Bonhoeffer's time, and mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of psychiatry 1969-09, Vol.115 (526), p.1033-1038
Main Authors: Goodwin, Donald W., Crane, J. Bruce, Guze, Samuel B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alcoholic Intoxication - complications
Alcoholism - complications
Amnesia - etiology
Fatigue
Female
Humans
Male
Memory
Sleep Deprivation
Time Factors
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Summary:“Blackout”, a confusing term sometimes denoting amnesia and at other times unconsciousness, has come in the alcoholism literature to designate memory loss associated with drinking alcohol. That alcoholics frequently experience amnesic episodes has been recognized since Bonhoeffer's time, and more recently Jellinek (1952) and others have popularized the notion that blackouts are an important predictor of alcoholism, a conclusion based on questionnaire data indicating that blackouts occur early in the course of alcoholism, well before the appearance of other alcoholic symptoms. Jellinek also believed that alcoholics often had blackouts after ingestion of modest, subintoxicating amounts of alcohol.
ISSN:0007-1250
1472-1465
DOI:10.1192/bjp.115.526.1033