Hi Trying to understan. I'm not sure I'd call such memory issues necessarily "normal". You, yourself, stated the "normal" range of memory issues, but some others are definitely caused or made more severe by stress. I have learned that there are numerous potential causes for memory issues, with anxiety/stress up there as one of the biggest. Beyond just alcohol blackouts, there are dissociative blackouts, manic or severe depressive blackouts, trauma-type blackouts, and general memory issues relating to normal stress, distractability, and personal denial, just to name a few. I think there are even some people who are prone to making up stories or lies, and eventually even believing them themselves. It's possible that in at least one of the cases you described, the person lied about what they did/didn't remember. It's hard to say.

I have stories of major memory issues due to various triggers. I've witnessed memory issues in people I love. Such memory issues may not be "normal", but they're definitely not uncommon.