Which term best describes memory impairment from alcohol?

• A. Blanking out
• B. Blacking out
• C. Fading memory
• D. Memory lapse

Answer: (B)

Memory impairment from alcohol is best described as blacking out. When alcohol levels are high, the brain’s ability to form new long-term memories is disrupted, so experiences during that time may not be encoded at all. You can be awake and interacting, yet later not recall what happened. This term specifically captures the gap in recall for events that occurred while intoxicated, unlike more generic phrases like memory lapse or fading memory. Blanking out isn’t the standard term for this exact phenomenon, and fading memory or memory lapse don’t convey the alcohol-related, temporary loss of memory encoding.