How do you know when it’s time to quit drinking? When a few too many beverages leave a blank space where your memory should be, there’s a definite cause for concern. It’s no fun to be left with no memories of your night out, and it’s no fun to be left with the harmful long-term side effects of abusing alcohol over time.
If you often find yourself experiencing memory loss after drinking alcohol, that should be one of your reasons to stop drinking. Call 833.754.0554 to speak with someone from Women’s Recovery about signs it’s time to quit drinking, what to expect when you quit drinking, and our women’s alcohol addiction treatment program in Colorado.
What Is an Alcohol Blackout?
Like stress-related blackouts and fainting spells, alcohol blackouts involve significant memory and time loss. However, women who black out when drinking usually remain fully conscious, despite experiencing memory loss from alcohol. They aren’t losing consciousness in the moment. They’re simply not recording what’s happening to be able to retrieve it later.
To cause blackouts, alcohol interferes with specific receptors in the hippocampus. In particular, it prevents glutamate from being transmitted. Glutamate is a messenger that activates specific neurons. When your brain activates these neurons, the neurons block a process known as long-term potentiation (LTP). This process is crucial in learning and memory creation. The take-home message is that too much alcohol is toxic to the neurons in your brain. Your body can’t handle the levels of alcohol associated with blacking out.
7 Signs It’s Time to Quit Drinking
1. You Struggle to Remember What Happens When You Drink
The most obvious indicator that your drinking has become problematic is memory loss after drinking alcohol. It shouldn’t be surprising that a large chunk of time missing from your memory can cause intense feelings of anxiety over what you did or said during this time.
2. Blackouts Are Affecting Your Relationships
Your personality, demeanor, and decision-making skills can all change drastically under the influence of alcohol. Embarrassing blackout behaviors can have a lasting negative effect on your interpersonal relationships. It’s challenging to make amends for your blackout-drunk actions when it’s impossible to remember what you did. It also makes you less likely to be invited to future social gatherings.
3. You Sometimes Feel Unsafe After Drinking
If you’ve consumed enough alcohol to trigger a blackout and are on your own, you aren’t capable of looking after yourself. When you black out, your ability to make crucial decisions is impaired. This includes your capacity to consent to sex. Being assaulted is never your fault. But being in a blacked-out state can make it much more challenging to escape unwanted and potentially dangerous situations.
4. Your Blackouts Sometimes Involve Other Substances
Excessive drinking might not be the only thing contributing to your memory loss. Some drugs can cause blackouts when taken on their own. This risk is even higher when alcohol is involved. Combining alcohol with benzodiazepines or opioids carries an exceptionally high risk of blackout. All three substances are depressants, so the opioids and the benzos are enhanced by alcohol which increases the risk of overdose. You could even suffer respiratory failure and die.
5. You’re Experiencing Health Problems Related to Your Drinking
Binge drinking in a short time can cause mild or even severe alcohol poisoning. When you consider the numerous other health impacts that alcohol has on the body, it goes without saying that alcohol abuse is one of the most detrimental substances to a woman’s health.
6. Your Blackout Drinking Is Starting to Affect Your Daily Life
Whether it’s being unable to perform the same quality of work thanks to a raging hangover or you can’t keep up with your day-to-day obligations at home because of a late-night out, if your daily life is suffering because of your drinking, it may be time to cut back on your alcohol consumption.
7. Not Drinking Affects You
Don’t wait until the most intense withdrawal symptoms begin to get help. Withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Nausea and vomiting
- Tremors or shakes
These symptoms can be dangerous and life-threatening. For example, delirium tremens (DTs), which happens in 5% of all withdrawal cases, can quickly become fatal.
Find Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Women’s Recovery and Know What to Expect When You Quit Drinking
Consistent alcohol blackouts are good reasons to stop drinking. Instead of wondering how to know when it’s time to quit drinking, contact Women’s Recovery today at 833.754.0554 to get on the path to sobriety as soon as possible.
