Question about blackouts
 

I am wondering if someone can explain to me specifically their experience with blackouts and how you define them? I have a poor memory to begin with, but my wife used to mention things we talked about the night before with not giving me context and I would not remember, then would she would provide some context I would remember the conversation clearly. But I don't think that is a blackout, or is it? Is a blackout when you've gone on for hours at night at a bar or event and can not remember ANY of it, even when reminded what you said or did? I'm sure I have done that at some point in my life, but certainly not since I was 40...maybe? Just curious.

In my book, a blackout would be any time you were drunk enough that you didn't remember what you did or said. Doesn't matter if it's an hour, a night or a whole week.

You had some blackouts the week your wife was out of town before your accident - go back and read some of those. You didn't remember posting a lot of it the next day, that would absolutely qualify IMHO

Thomas, I know it's obvious but- abstinence guarantees you won't have to ponder these kinds of questions anymore!

There is nothing to miss about black outs. No worries over being hurt, or hurting someone else.

Both scenarios you described qualify as blackouts in my book. I'm shuddering as I recall a blackout which seemed like a dream until I verified it with the person I was with. Someone I should not have been with. It's very uncomfortable and this serves only as a reminder to never drink or touch a pill again.

Yeah, that is true. That few days leading up to that were not good at all.

I pondered the question out of curiosity as much as anything. Just reading some posts on here where people have apparently done some very memorable things....and not remember them at all. Even when reminded of them.

Scott was spot on imo

Both scott and sleepie are correct I think.

I don't remember a single thing when I drink.

In a true Blackout by definition, you will never recall the event(s) for a period of time, whether an hour, day, or days. The memories are never formed, thus can never be recalled. I blacked out most of the time that I drank for at least some period of time if not much of the time later in the day/evening.

some people think a blackout is the loss of conscious thought DURING a drinking episode....but that is not the case - at the time you "conduct" yourself as before, it is only in the aftermath the brain cannot recall a specific time period, or event. and it's not like kinda gone....it's GONE.

scariest blackouts for me was wondering how in the HELL i got home, after confirming my car was in the driveway and in one piece.

That's my understanding of it - the body basically gets so overwhelmed with alcohol that it shuts down non-essential processes in an effort to flush out the toxins faster. The memories literally never exist because the brain stops recording during those periods. You can recall before & after, but not during.

I second what everyone here said. I would remember where I was but not what I said. That's the worse feeling to wake up the next morning and wonder whether you said or did anything stupid or hurtful.

I wouldn't consider not remembering snippets of conversation a full-blown blackout. that could be a grey-out where it's a blur but you at least remember where you were and who you were with. Some people tune out what their spouses say in conversation even when sober, although I would never recommend that. :lmao From my experience a true blackout is where you are missing hours of your life where you were apparently doing stuff out in public and you wake up someplace else with no idea of what you did or said. Frightening!

Yes, your description matches my definition and experience of blackouts.

But, may I ask? Why are you spending your wonderful thoughtspace on that? You're sober now, and it will never happen again. Think forward, to your future, which is bright!

I had many types of blackouts, from the type you described where I needed a prompt to remember things from the night before, to the fact that there are months of my life that are a black hole and I have no recollection of at all.

Hi SiS, Frankly it was a hastily posted thread. I read a few posts on here with people explaining some pretty hairy situations they were in, admittedly blacked out. I kind of shamelessly wondered if some people would share their blackout stories. I know I've been on this site on "autopilot" but I kinda remember what I was doing. I was/am curious about people who have these 6-8 hour periods of time where they were in a bar, or at a concert, or party and have absolutely no memory of it. Downright scary.

Anyway, you are right, I am more focused on looking forward. We are taking a trip to Chicago this weekend for Easter. Kind of excited, been awhile. Except they are talking up to a foot of snow in the region starting tomorrow. That could change plans.

Blackouts were a staple of my drinking career. One morning I woke up and my car was squeezed in a space I couldn't make it into sober as a ghost. I was in college and stupidly laughed it off.

Idk if I'm just getting old but a recent blackout scarred me permanently. I woke up and couldn't remember two hours of the previous night. There was the potential for a lot of bad things to happen - I'm fairly certain I dodged trouble but I still can't swear to it.

Horrifying...I look forward to never having to deal with blackouts again.

Well, I've ridden my motorcycle across the city and wrecked some parties with no memory of the evening, but there are some people as mentioned above that go for days, travel to foreign countries or deplete their bank accounts while in a state of alcoholic amnesia. Bad, bad, bad. Like playing Russian Roulette, really.

I've had hours and hours of complete blackouts.
That's one of the main reasons I had to stop drinking.

Toward the end of my drinking I started to have mini blackouts. By that time I was mostly drinking at home, and as a quiet drunk nothing serious ever happened. I normally go to bed by 10pm, and the way I experienced it is that I would wake up in the morning and remember it being something like 8:30pm, but I had no recollection of the time after that or going to bed. I'm assuming I went to bed around normal time, so I'd lose an hour or hour and a half.

I don't know the mechanics of it, but I believe blackouts are simply when the amount of alcohol consumed affects the processes in the brain that transfer short term memories into long term memories. A bit like the man in the Christopher Nolan film Memento if you've ever seen it, who has that condition due to an accident. So it's not like you go into a separate "blackout state" like a zombie or something. I've known people who seemed their normal (drunk) selves who would tell me the next day they can't remember anything after a certain point.

I used to suffer them all the time. I'd come back from the pub and watch Match of the Day, or the next episode of a box set I was watching, and the next day need to watch them again because I couldn't remember anything that happened in them after the first few minutes. The worst thing for me was often the point where the blackouts kicked in was about the same point that my behaviour was no longer what I would consider my own. I would say and do damaging things completely out of character. The shame the next day as I'd have to try and piece together what happened, dreading phone calls or texts from friends out of fear of what they'd say I'd done. A horrible, horrible feeling.

What I love best about sobriety is knowing that I can now own everything I say or do. It will all be coming from the real me. Doesn't mean I won't make any more mistakes in my life, but I'll at least understand what I was trying to do, and know they came from the right place.