What happened last night? Why do people drink the same, but some don't remember anything the next morning

It was another painfully familiar for Sarah Hepola morning. A large part of last night she didn't remember. Remember how at the party talked to people, and then fail. Where was she yesterday? Where on the hand print? Who bought the pizza? And that man next?

Such memory loss for Sarah was commonplace early on. This often happened when she as if had failed, and the next morning was in another place. Well, and then began to happen memory lapses due to alcohol — though someone may seem funny, but it can have serious consequences. Some people fall from the memory of all events after a certain point. Others lost only part of the event. Regular blackouts are not disturbed Sarah for a long time. Only now, looking back, she realizes that the alcohol slowly destroyed her relationship with a loved one.

If this situation seems familiar to you, this is not surprising, because the memory lapses happen many: studies show that more than half of College-age people who consume alcohol, get drunk to unconsciousness.

Scientists are learning more about the causes of unconsciousness and why it affects some people more likely than others. And it helps prevent many negative effects. For many decades it was believed that before the memory loss only alcoholics get drunk. But a number of experiments have helped to make amazing discoveries.

In the late 60-ies of the last century, a researcher named Donald Goodwin recruited in hospitals and employment centres a volunteer group of alcoholics to determine what happens when memory is erased drinker. It turned out that 60 of the 100 alcoholics lapses of memory. But it turned out that those who are failures, can act surprisingly consistently. After drinking, people could do simple calculations, but half an hour later could not remember what happened.

It is believed that the memory loss is caused by temporary malfunction of the hippocampus — part of brain responsible for creating memories.

White found that in rats small amounts of alcohol allow the brain to work, but if you increase the dosage, the brain shuts down. But there are two areas of the brain, the hippocampus which give information about what is happening. This frontal lobe and the amygdala. Alcohol also suppresses them.

Known fact: the faster you drink, the greater the level of alcohol in the blood. But that doesn't explain why some people lose their memory, and others who drink the same amount, remember everything. Study Ralph Hinson held in 2016, provides answers to some questions.

They also found that memory impairment often occur in people with low weight. Suffer from this and students who like to warm up before the party, where people come in already pretty drunk. In women, the failures happen more often than in men. They are less than men, and the percentage of fat in the female body above, and therefore, water, which will dilute the alcohol, less. In addition to sex differences, plays the role of a genetic factor. At risk are those whose mothers had problems with alcohol.

At risk are women who have lapses of memory. Under the influence of alcohol they can behave sexually uninhibited. These women tend to the fact that the next day I regret what happened last night. Moreover, it was found that women who were already vulnerable to sexual violence, may once again become a victim when you are in a state of blackout. This is due to the fact that they can't appreciate the danger of the situation, and then can't recreate the event. Therefore, later in court it will be difficult to prove the fact of violence. Moreover, the accused can argue that they did not understand that were dealing with a drunk person, because in this condition the woman may behave quite sanity.

Sarah Hepola told, at the time of the loss of memory she could keep up a conversation, joking and looked quite sober. And only those who knew her well, could see glassy eyes.

Therefore, in the codes of conduct of some universities is now established that sexual contact with a person in a state of lapse of memory equates to violence. Because such people are unable to give adequate consent to intimacy.

For those who gets drunk to unconsciousness, the first step is to control the consumption of alcohol. You can even enlist the help of friends. But of course, that's easier said than done. Sarah Hepola told that even when I wanted to drink, could not stop.

Now Sarah has been sober for eight years and is glad that he no longer suffers from memory lapses. Life became easier, she says.