"Where am I?" How did it come about? What did you do last night? "Wake up the next day drunk and you may find yourself losing a memory.
Drinkers know that this amnesia is not uncommon, and most drinkers experience it at least once in their lives, and some people call it "broken pieces" or "blackout" [1].
"I remember doing a few drinks in a row, and then... I don't know" 丨giphy
Fragments are amnesia, not coma
When I found out that last night was broken, I would definitely try to think back to what I was like at that time. In fact, at that time, others couldn't see that you couldn't remember things, because you could still chat with everyone and walk around. It's just that acute alcoholism can make you unable to find all or part of the memory of the drinking scene after the fact [2, 3].
Chatting also requires memory, otherwise the preface will not go on without the afterword. Since the amnesia is lost, how can we still have conversations at that time? Fragments do not affect the memory of short periods of time, and the content of the conversation a few minutes ago can continue to be said. But memories can't be stored for long periods of time, such as half an hour later or the next day, and you can't remember the conversation at that time.
However, things before drinking are generally not forgotten, and amnesia usually begins after two or three hours of drinking, and the entire memory loss is between a few hours and dozens of hours. It may be impossible to remember what happened during the whole time, or some fragments may be remembered sporadically.[3, 5]
If you find that someone can't move or wake up after drinking, it's not called a broken piece, it's a coma! Hurry up and go to the hospital.
Fragments are alcohol that prevents memories from being stored for long periods of time | Johann Heinrich Fussli, Incubo
Can memories be retrieved?
If the whole period of time is broken, the memory will not come back. If you remember some of the clips, you may be able to remember the events of that time when prompted. Because fragmented damaged memories are contextually relevant, exposure to familiar things can help retrieve memories, such as the place at the time, what was talked about, and friends who were there.
When it comes to familiarity, there may be bold ideas: Drink more than once, isn't it the most familiar feeling? Some people have heard such a legend that the drunkard hid the treasure when he was drunk, and could not find it until the next time he was drunk, he remembered where the treasure was. However, the reality is that getting drunk again does not help retrieve memories, but only makes the brain more confused .[5]
Even if you try to retrieve your memory, it may not be accurate. Because even without the influence of alcohol, the process of recall is susceptible to various distractions and mistakes, and the experience of using friends' retelling or photo patchwork after drinking is even more implausible .[2]
Retrieved memories are not necessarily accurate | Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory
Can't remember things, but can do things
Although memory is affected, other functions of the body may be fine in childhood. The part of the brain responsible for memory (hippocampus, etc.) is more sensitive to alcohol than the part that controls movement, so when the concentration of alcohol in the blood gradually increases, the person loses memory first, and then gradually loses control of the body [5].
At this time, physical movement is not necessarily a good thing. In the case of inflexible movements and emotional instability, moving around may hurt yourself or others. On the way home after drinking, due to decreased reaction and judgment, they are more likely to encounter traffic accidents than usual [6]. [2] Some people even drove on the road when they were children, and after the collision, they didn't remember it at all the next day.
In addition to decreased exercise ability, emotional agitation or depression in childhood is also dangerous. After drinking alcohol, it is easy to destroy objects, argue and fight with people, and even have committed suicide and murder. However, the person concerned cannot remember what happened after waking up drunk, and he cannot believe that he did it himself.[2]
Waking up to find yourself miserable at the police station, in a strange bed, was also very scary. Fragments do not delay the operation of certain complex passions, but the next day may find that this is not what they want, or it is not safe [5, 7]. There have been people who have lost their previous memories and claimed to have been violated after waking up, and it is difficult to restore the previous situation.
图 | Angelica KauffmannSwiss, Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus
How to avoid fragmentation as much as possible
Everyone drinks different amounts of alcohol every time they drink a broken piece, and the difference is partly from congenital factors, that is, they are born unable to drink; the other part is determined by the growth process; and finally, there is the state and way of drinking at that time, which is also the most easily changed part.
What can't be changed: genes, gender, and drinking history
Just as some people are born to drink and are easily drunk, some people's brain function is more likely to be disturbed by alcohol and fragmented, which is mostly determined by genetics [2,4, 7]. If parents are often drunk and broken, offspring are also prone to appear. Mothers have a greater influence on their offspring than fathers, and sons are more affected than daughters [5, 8]. Coupled with the role of the family environment, the children of the parents of the fragmented children need to be more restrained when drinking.
It is often said that some women can drink more than men, but in fact, women drink less on average, but the risk of fragmentation is close to that of men [9]. That is to say, women are more likely to break the film, and generally drink less than half of men's alcohol and begin to lose their memory. This is because women have a small body weight, low water ratio, and poor alcohol metabolism, so they have higher blood alcohol concentrations and are more likely to be poisoned [5].
In addition, people who start drinking at a young age, who drink frequently, and who are large in large amounts are prone to fragmentation [5, 8]. Because adolescence is an important time for brain development and maturation, it is more difficult to resist the harm of alcohol, and drinking heavily will affect later memory [9].
图 | Jacob Jordaens, The King Drinks
What can be changed: drinking speed, food and sleep
Everyone knows that drinking too much alcohol will break the pieces, in fact, compared to drinking more, the speed is more likely to lead to amnesia, because the rate of increase in blood alcohol concentration is the most destructive to memory [5, 10]. Therefore, when drinking hard liquor, drinking on an empty stomach, and playing a game of penalty drinking, you get drunk quickly and it is easier to break the pieces [2, 3].
Sometimes you get drunk not because of the amount, but because you are not in a good state that day. Drinking alcohol during physical fatigue and lack of sleep is more likely to lose memory. Moreover, smoking and the combined action of some drugs with alcohol also affect fragmented children [5, 11]. So, predicting whether you'll break your slices as a child is more accurate than when you're drinking alcohol. Whether you feel particularly excited or confused and want to sleep, it is a hint that you may lose your memory [2, 13].
No matter how good the body and memory are, and how many thousand cups of drinking last time are not drunk, there is no guarantee that this time there will be continuous filming [5]. In the face of having to drink, resting and eating something before, trying not to drink as soon as you come up, can help reduce the danger and embarrassment caused by fragmentation.
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Author: Dai Tian Doctor
EDIT: odette
An AI
Perhaps the easiest way to avoid fragmentation is not to drink.
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