Expert: Beverley Glazer - 7/13/2009

Question
I am a college student and have repeatedly been experiencing blackouts for the past year and a half. It's truly beginning to worry me and of course the most obvious solution is to quit consuming alcohol, especially in large amounts, but I'm wondering I might be genetically predisposed to alcoholism and if I very well may already be an alcoholic. To me, it seems that I'm just binge drinking and having a good time, but the blackouts I experience are literally quite frightening as I don't act as I normally do. The best way to describe my behavior is to relate it to Jackal and Hide. I've also recently began to notice difficulty in my ability to concentrate when critically reading for comprehension in articles or textbooks for prolonged periods of time. I would like to know if the side effects are reversible, as I'm preparing to hopefully go to Law School and need my memory and ability to comprehend difficult texts to be as sharp as possible. I'm still young, very young, and am questioning whether my decisions to binge drink have permanently damaged my brain and its ability for comprehension and retention of information.

Thank you

Answer
Hi David,

The fact that you've been experiencing blackouts is not a good sign and whether you are genetically predisposed to alcoholism is not the issue. The problem is that you're consuming too much alcohol.

Many students binge drink and they can become alcoholics, but not all of them do. Here's some information on binge drinking:

http://www.untwist-your-thinking.com/binge-drinking.html

What starts out as having fun, seems to be creating problems in your life right now. If you stop partying, chances are your concentration and comprehension will return. But this won't be easy to stop.

Law School is very demanding tell yourself that you have to stay focused on it. The good thing is that you realize it, so make those blackouts a wake-up call. If you need additional support, you may want to speak to an addiction counselor, or find a young people's AA meeting to help you out. You also have to avoid the 'party people'and the hangouts as well.
                                      

Thank you for asking AllExperts,
I hope this information is helpful,

Good luck,

Bev

http://www.untwist-your-thinking.com