LolaR

Thank you for this post, reading all of this has reminded me of what I didn't want to remember but need to.
I've been sober for just 6 days now after years of drinking. Yes, weekly blackouts became a regular part of my life. It really messes with your mind, then I just got used to it (feeling insane). Recently I had been drinking more lightly so I am remembering back aways, of what I can remember. Lots of memory lost.
No good story to tell, but shame and remorse. Questions of "what the %#$!! did I do last night ? " way too many times. Can't ever be a good thing.
Thanks again for bringing this up, and think about stopping......good luck to you !

archenemy

This thread really has an impact. I'm thinking I could have blacked out while driving too. So sort of back to original post..how many drinks might it take for an alcoholic..to possibly then blackout? Is it unknown..

Nikkabean326

Blacking out is one of the main reasons why I've decided to stop drinking. If you blackout even one time, maybe things need to be re-evaluated. I got tired of waking up in my clothes, in a different room, naked and wrapped in a towel or even in a bathtub with vomit on myself. I got tired of looking to my friends, family or boyfriend and asking them what the hell happened the previous night. I got tired of the guilt and worry of what I may have said or done. For a long while I'd say "Well, I'm Nikki. That's what I do." Just kind of laughed it off. It becomes serious when you start upsetting the people around you, though.

FreeOwl

been there... done that... and yes; it gets worse and you find yourself with entire parts of your life missing.

I've had PLENTY of conversations (including conversations with Cops) that I have absolutely no recollection of. People having to fill in hours and hours of details for me because though I appeared to be fully awake, aware, conscious and not even particularly drunk to others.... my entire memory-processing center and awareness mechanisms were out to freakin' lunch.

It's freaky... it's wicked-scary... I never want to have that happen again.

Ncognito13

My absurd blackout story (one of many, I just find this one to be the worst).

I get off work and my gf at the time tells me her friends are having a party at a hotel (like you would do in high school). I get there and start taking shots of rum. I had eaten very little, so it hit me fast, but I continued to keep the same pace. I didn't feel too drunk, then BAM, it's the next day. This is where it gets bad.

I head to the bathroom and after 5 seconds realize something is wrong. I'm wearing a different shirt. It's too small, inside out, and has the tags. Also, I'm wearing flip flops. I showed up in shoes. The ground is covered in popcorn, and on the table are 2 frozen pizzas with all the toppings eaten off (but nothing else), and 2 cheap cell phones in their packaging. I head to the bathroom and realize while I am wearing pants, I have no underwear on. I'm becoming very confused. I wake my gf up who had passed out in a chair. She only wakes up for a second but she tells me she will explain later, and I can see the pictures she took. Now I'm worried.

The popcorn. One of the girls there had gone to a vending machine to buy popcorn, met a guy, brought him back and had sex with him on the floor, while eating the popcorn. The flip flop shoes and all that other stuff? I had walked to Walmart while blacked out. Left my work shirt and shoes there and changed clothes. I them went to the electronics section, stole 2 phones, then went to get 2 frozen pizzas, and just walked out. When I came back some people had passed out. I went to the bathroom and left my pants and underwear there. Tired, I went to bed. The wrong bed. So this couple throws me out. My gf sees I have no pants on and helps me get dressed. I then open the pizzas, but just eat the toppings. I then proceeded to yell at everyone for being so immature, then passed out.

Then I saw the pictures. I can't even describe how drunk I looked. In one I am clearly tripping over a chair. It's also obvious I continued to drink after blacking out. My gf told me I really didn't need to apologize to anyone, we were all that drunk but that didn't erase the total embarrassment and shame I felt. I made a total ass of myself. The sad thing is getting this blackout wasted became a norm for me. Both at parties, and by myself. I've done so many stupid things I could write a book (if I could remember any of it).

archenemy

So do u have to have certain BAC to be in danger of blacking out? Or does it just happen randomly to alcoholics?

DanicaB

Scariest blackout story for me, I was at a party, a girl was there and we were chatting. I went outside with her to wait for her boyfriend to pick her up. Next thing I know I'm in the car with her and her boyfriend and his friends, we go to his house. They won't let me leave or use the phone. They stick me and the girl in a room and don't let us come out. The girl seems scared of her boyfriend. I jump out the window and run away in the middle of the night. They drive around and find me and bring me back. I jump out the window again and this time they don't find me. I wander around Boise not knowing where the hell I am in the middle of the night and drunk. Some cops come and pick me up. I was underage drinking (19) but they think I'm high on something. I insist that I'm just really drunk and that some guys kidnapped me. They ask if I know where the house was but of course I don't. They take me back to the party I started at where my boyfriend was at. Everyone is asleep so I go in and crash too.

I really wonder what could have happened to me at that house and why I chose to get in the car with complete strangers and leave my boyfriend at that party. So weird, and a close call.

Ncognito13

I don't think there is a certain BAC, there are too many factors. Age, sex, height, weight, and especially tolerance.

I knew this one girl that if she had two drinks would go crazy and claim she didn't remember the previous night. At my worse, I wouldn't have felt 2 drinks. It would take about a fifth of vodka on an empty stomach for me to totally blackout.

Kayla50

I have blackouts mainly when I have been drinking hard alcohol. It is a very disturbing experience as I wake up and my family has to tell me how I behaved. Pretty humiliating. I hope you don't injure yourself. I have broken ribs and cut my face in blackouts. Please be careful.

ZeldaFan

You pretty much described my relationship with alcohol before I finally quit. There was literally nothing left in my life but going to work just so I could afford to go home and black out. It wasn't until I got sober that I realized just how messed up that was!

It was a slow progression over about five years that started with just being drunk and happy. That led to small bits of the night being fuzzy and in short time I got to the point where I wouldn't remember much past the first 20-30 mins in the door or after waking up on the weekend.

Kayla50

Oh my God. I was raped by two men during a blackout out at a major private university. I know this because people wathced and called me and told me about it the next day. It troubles me everyday. I'm so sorry. I'm always here if you need to talk more.

Ncognito13

Another common blackout tendency of mine was to wake up sleeping on the floor, NEXT to my bed. I would wake up trying to figure it out. What would compel me to pass out on the ground when my bed is 2 feet away. I did this often.

bigsombrero

This thread is like documenting the behavior of the insane. The danger, of course, is that we're actually somewhat attracted to parts of this lifestyle. My impish, wild and kooky drunk behavior was actually admired in my social group - and that's partially why I kept at it until age 36. Those fond memories of being an "out of control" college kid helped to nearly kill me as an adult. I'd recommend being careful about "glorifying" your blackouts here. I'm sure we all have stories that can top each other's...but I think it's also important to look forward. Believe it or not, the wild ride that is recovery & sobriety will provide you with even more interesting stories in the future...

Blaizze

Man, I was a regular black out drinker, honestly. I passed out very regularly too. I would pass out if I started drinking early in the day, and black out later at night when I started drinking "heavier". It is a horrible experience that I never want to go through again, and don't really know how I did it for the last 10 years without seriously killing myself or anyone else. I have ignored family and loved ones because I passed out, and then proceeded to lie to them about drinking when they tried to talk to me later while I was blacked out, because apparently I was so tolerant I didn't sound intoxicated. It's a miserable feeling having to have people fill in your nights and days for you, but it became such a regular thing that it just stopped bothering me.

Never again......

Dee74

There's some excerpts from the book Under the Influence that discuss blackouts:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html

D

Leana

During my last year of drinking I would sort of "wake up", I wasn't asleep but I would sort of snap out of my blackout, having no idea where I was or what I was doing but I wasn't passed out in the true sense of the word. I may have been in the middle of talking to someone, and boom I snap back into reality. Any where from 1 to 3 hours may have passed and I may have had 5 drinks or 5 bottles. I never knew what I had done but on many occasions the person with me had no idea that I didn't remember the past few hours.

wolfpackfan45

My son had cut his foot going into his apartment in a blackout. He dripped blood all over the carpet on his way to bed. He didn't even know he was cut, plus he left the front door open and they slept with it wide open all night in the middle of winter. He also picked a fight with several guys while in a blackout and they came after him. His roommate managed to calm the guys down and avoid them beating him up.

archenemy

I would be sick of embarrassing myself and only remembering bits and pieces or nothing at all. Then I just started to drink alone at home.