Brownout vs Blackout Drunk – What’s the Difference?

Those who often drink to excess may have experienced periods of blackout or brownout drinking. While most people are familiar with blackout drinking, brownout drinking is an equally troubling phenomenon that can occur when you drink excessively. Understanding brownout vs blackout drunk and the effects they have on your body can help you determine if you may benefit from seeking help for problematic drinking patterns.

What Is Blackout Drunk?

During a blackout, a person may completely lose their memory, although they are still awake and conscious. You may appear fine to those around you and move around and interact with others, but later, you will have no recollection of the events that took place while you were drinking.

What Happens to Your Body When You Black Out?

Anterograde amnesia occurs when you are unable to form or store new memories due to a change in your brain receptors caused by alcohol consumption. When you drink a large amount of alcohol over a short period, the connections between brain cells weaken, disrupting your learning and memory processes.

What Is Brownout Drunk?

Being “brownout” drunk refers to a state in which you may experience partial memory loss during a particularly heavy drinking session. For example, you could remember certain parts of conversations, places you went to, and things you did, but you may not be completely clear about the entirety of the events.

What Happens to Your Body When You Experience Brownout?

Your brain reacts similarly to a brownout as it does when you black out. However, instead of complete amnesia, you have some spotty memories of the events that occurred while you were drinking.

The Signs and Symptoms of Being Blackout Drunk

It’s difficult to accurately identify whether someone is blackout drunk because they may seem completely coherent and fine. Those experiencing a blackout can talk with others, drive, and do other complex activities. Symptoms of alcohol blackout are difficult to catch, but they may look similar to other intoxication symptoms and include:

• Difficulty speaking
• Muscle spasms
• Vision changes
• Headaches
• Dizziness

Alcohol blackouts are prevalent among young drinkers, especially those who are college-aged. The main causes of blackout drinking include drinking on an empty stomach, sleep deprivation, and combining alcohol with medications.

The Signs and Symptoms of Being Brownout Drunk

Brownouts occur when you drink too much alcohol and have difficulty recalling the events that happened while you were drinking. Brownout drunk is called a fragmentary blackout. When you drink heavily, you affect the hippocampus, which is the part of your brain responsible for memory storage. While long-term alcohol abuse can damage the hippocampus, short-term memory loss is also possible if you drink excessively.

During brownout drinking, the symptoms are also similar to being intoxicated and can include:

• Slurred speech
• Slowed movements
• Decrease in alertness
• Fluctuating pace of speech

You are more likely to experience a brownout when you binge drink or consume more than four drinks for women or five drinks for men in a short amount of time.