Half of college students have blackouts

Fifty percent of U.S. college drinkers report at least one alcohol-induced memory blackout -- in the past year after binge drinking, researchers say. Study co-author Dr. Michael Fleming at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago says despite being fully conscious during such blackouts, students could not recall specific events, such as how they got to a bar, party or their own front door. "The study offers a major warning to student drinkers: If you black out, you need to cut back on your drinking because the next time it happens you could be driving a car or walking on a bridge and something bad could happen," Fleming says in a statement. "If doctors screen college drinkers for these kinds of blackouts, they could do a better job of identifying and intervening with college students at the highest risk of alcohol-related injuries." During screening, students were asked, "Have you ever suddenly found yourself in a place that you could not remember getting to?" Fleming says. The study, published in the journal Injury Prevention, found college drinkers who reported alcohol-induced memory loss are at a higher risk of alcohol-related injuries in the next 24 months versus their peers drank just as much but didn't report memory blackouts.