I have been getting blackouts for the last 9 years.....now....i started drinking 10 yrs back.... I have reduced drinking considerable, because of the 'by-products' of black-outs. Three things which induces blackouts i feel are....1)Excessive Pysical Fatigue 2)Too many drinks within very little time 3)Lack of food intake......which gives u a hangover too !
I have been experiencing black outs for about a year. I have quit drinking because I know that I am either an alcoholic or close to one. I am tired of waking up and pretending to know what others tell me I said or did. I'm embarrased to admit I have no memory. I am tired of checking my cell phone to see who I called or texted and again have no memory of. I am tired of checking my computer to see who I e-mailed and what ridiculous things I said. I end up in fights with my husband because all of my "issues" come to surface and being in an alcohol induced blackout is not the time to discuss marital problems.
My husband finally last week said I shouldn't drink anymore. That was a wake up call.
What is weird is that I can go out to a bar or a nice dinner and I drink in moderation and have no problems but at home, due to the extreme stress in this environment I start and don't stop just to avoid what I am feeling inside.
I ask myself if I am an alcoholic, but since I can easily have just a drink or two when I go out and the taste of alcohol does not trigger excessive drinking and I stop without hesitation I don't feel I am an alcoholic. I know alcohol is only a problem when I am stressed out or in a stressful situation.
Regardless, I don't drink anymore, and will not even drink when going out. I need a few months to detox my body and get the situation under control. My last blackout was really bad and my behavior was out of control. It is scary to say the least.
My husband finally last week said I shouldn't drink anymore. That was a wake up call.
What is weird is that I can go out to a bar or a nice dinner and I drink in moderation and have no problems but at home, due to the extreme stress in this environment I start and don't stop just to avoid what I am feeling inside.
I ask myself if I am an alcoholic, but since I can easily have just a drink or two when I go out and the taste of alcohol does not trigger excessive drinking and I stop without hesitation I don't feel I am an alcoholic. I know alcohol is only a problem when I am stressed out or in a stressful situation.
Regardless, I don't drink anymore, and will not even drink when going out. I need a few months to detox my body and get the situation under control. My last blackout was really bad and my behavior was out of control. It is scary to say the least.
A lot of times prescription medication mixed with alcohol can cause blackouts, even after only a few drinks. Check with your doctor to see if anything you are taking would have adverse effects when mixed with alcohol.
Thanks everyone for these posts. I have been suffering from black outs for some time now. The last four or five times I have been out I have lost my memory and it's AWFUL. I don't know what I've done and someone showed me a photo of me dancing on a sink.. I was mortified but my friends found it funny. The last time I went out my friend bought me two shots in a row. Being 28 all my friends seem to go out a lot and life revolves around that sometimes too much.. I thought I would be fine but i don't remember getting home. My friend said I was being a little aggressive but I remember nothing. I hate it. I went to AA sessions for a bit - I don't think I am an alcoholic but for some reason I can't stop when i've started and I think i would definitely benefit from some detoxing. I just don't know how to get it started? Problem is it's just not as fun anymore and I can't handle the paranoia involved. It used to be fun but it's just not that fun anymore..
Last night I drank 6 beers and about 35cl of vodka, I had about a 3hr blackout during which, while walking home I was hit by a car. I am fine but my favourite pair of jeans are shredded and covered in blood. And I have no memory other than laying on the road holding my legs. I have had a couple of blackouts from drinking before and it's a terrible feeling to not know what you did or said during that time period, I'm so happy that I found out that other people have experienced similar things. Needless to say after last night I wont be dinking again.
Okay, so I am glad I am not alone. I drink, but by no means am an alcoholic. I have two small children, so I never drink during the day, or feel the need to drink. I maybe have a glass of wine or two during the week. On some weekends I will drink a few beers or drinks... But sometimes (like maybe every few months), I totally forget... I mean bits and spots and don't even remember going to sleep. And I am told I will say things or talk ridiculously... even to the point people say I act like a completely different person. It scares my husband at times. I am never violent like that one post was talking about... but I will be mean.. make fun of people.. even say things I don't mean, feel or would EVER say sober. I HATE it! I always freak out and am scared a morning after drinking what I have done or said. But see... it doesn't happen that often, but often enough to be concerned. My family, my friends, we all drink at get togethers... and I don't want to stop all together. I KNOW I don't have a problem. But I want to figure out why this is happening. Like others were saying... I have tried JUST drinking beer and not mixing... only having a couple.. no shots... I've tried different things... I thought it was because I am a very small woman. (5'3" 110 pounds..) I tried eating a lot while I drink thinking it would absorb the alcohol... NOTHING... Can someone help me out here??????
I have been having these blackouts for a while, they are inconsistent and don't happen all the time which leads me to suspect that the real cause is not just a rapid rise in the blood alcohol content but I believe there are other factors at work as well.
Right now I'm in Bangkok and it's very hot over here and I lose a lot of body liquid due to sweating so I have been taking some 'oral rehydration salts / electrolytes', the kind which you mix a flavoured powder with about 750ml of water, they are orange flavoured. The strengths of these things vary wildly from containing almost no salts to stronger ones, I use the stronger ones.
I noticed on several occasions that the blackouts didn't happen after I drank the rehydration salts and any hangover was less. Note - I ran my tests by drinking one of these 750ml mixes before I went out.
I drank pretty much the same amount as prior occasions when I had blackouts. I suspect electrolyte imbalances caused by dehydration whilst drinking along with rapid rising alcohol content in the blood causes these but in my experience drinking the rehydration drink before I go out makes a massive difference in reducing the blackout period to almost non existant in most cases.
I would be interested to hear if anyone else tries this and it makes a positive difference, give it a go, it can't do any harm.
Last night I was out and drank at least 15 wiskey/cokes and 7 or 8 beers, after about 9 hours sleep I didn't feel 100% but I do remember almost everything that happened during my night out. I went out from about 10pm until about 5am, so that's 7 hours which is a good amount of time.
These rehydration packs are available cheaply from any pharmacy. They also help hangovers the day after. I drink a lot of alcohol when I go out between one and three times a week always with one or two days minium between drinking any alcohol.
I started to get blackouts after I reduced my drinking from almost daily down to 1-3 nights out a week. It's been happening for over a year now. Most people will have at least some kind of blackout at some point in their life but will never realise it as it might be short lasting so they won't ever know unless some incident happens which they realise that they can't remember.
Right now I'm in Bangkok and it's very hot over here and I lose a lot of body liquid due to sweating so I have been taking some 'oral rehydration salts / electrolytes', the kind which you mix a flavoured powder with about 750ml of water, they are orange flavoured. The strengths of these things vary wildly from containing almost no salts to stronger ones, I use the stronger ones.
I noticed on several occasions that the blackouts didn't happen after I drank the rehydration salts and any hangover was less. Note - I ran my tests by drinking one of these 750ml mixes before I went out.
I drank pretty much the same amount as prior occasions when I had blackouts. I suspect electrolyte imbalances caused by dehydration whilst drinking along with rapid rising alcohol content in the blood causes these but in my experience drinking the rehydration drink before I go out makes a massive difference in reducing the blackout period to almost non existant in most cases.
I would be interested to hear if anyone else tries this and it makes a positive difference, give it a go, it can't do any harm.
Last night I was out and drank at least 15 wiskey/cokes and 7 or 8 beers, after about 9 hours sleep I didn't feel 100% but I do remember almost everything that happened during my night out. I went out from about 10pm until about 5am, so that's 7 hours which is a good amount of time.
These rehydration packs are available cheaply from any pharmacy. They also help hangovers the day after. I drink a lot of alcohol when I go out between one and three times a week always with one or two days minium between drinking any alcohol.
I started to get blackouts after I reduced my drinking from almost daily down to 1-3 nights out a week. It's been happening for over a year now. Most people will have at least some kind of blackout at some point in their life but will never realise it as it might be short lasting so they won't ever know unless some incident happens which they realise that they can't remember.
Alcohol thins the blood, maybe it is effecting your circulation to your brain, this would cause blackouts.
I love Ambien, Ambien is the strongest best sleep medication I have ever found, I usually buy it from ***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed online pharmacy, and you know whats funny? if you take 2 pills of ambien with a bit of liquor/alcohol lets say one shot of whiskey or tequila, then it will act the same or worse than roofies ! you will encouter complete memory loss.
I am 46 years old. I realize from experience I am at risk for black outs. I now drink beer only and am usually ok. The other night went out with a "friend" to make her feel better. Always the good doer. No food in stomach began drinking. I guess we had 4-6 beers at rest. Do not remember from then on. Apparently we went to another place and drank more. I fell and was apparently quite funny and quite drunk. Instead of helping me or getting help she decided it was funny and lets continue. Somehow I eventually called my husband and he picked me up. I guess he left her there. I went to go to bed and fell in the bathroom and at that point remember being on my bed with some ice. Broke my ankle in 2 spots and could not walk. I am now out of work and have kids and a family. I probably should not drink but if I ever do or if you are prone to black outs at all, drink with people who care about you and would treat you like you would them, not like some high schooler who does not know better. Not taking the blame of myself but I have never blacked out so fast and for so long it scared me aot.
Wow. I'm so glad I ran across this discussion! I'm not alone!!! I am going to be 49 next month and have suffered from random alcohol blackouts for quite a few years. No I'm not an alcoholic! I only drink socially and my blackouts happen when I drink wine. I only drink white wine (pinot grigio) as I had to give up red wine a few years ago since it started giving me terrible heartburn. Like many others on here, I am fine with beer. I have never drank much in the way of liquor but am finding as of late that I like it better than wine. I can sip a drink and not get tipsy (or at least as fast) like I do with wine. I never can really predict my wine blackouts. As one of the posters said, I'm tired of having to pretend that I remember what happened! It's so embarrassing! The thing that I have never understood is that some days I can have 3 glasses and not remember a thing and other days I can have even more and remember everything. I do know eating has something to do with it for me, so I have been managing that but I still get them. So after reading all the other experiences on here, I'm beginning to think it is how fast I am drinking. I guess I will try the slowing down experiment and see if that helps. I really should take a break during my socializing and drink water. I know it helps but I forget to do it (no pun intended!) I use to only drink beer but now that I'm older, I've migrated to wine because I get so darn full on beer. I guess I can start my experiment tomorrow. Going to a neighbor's house for our annual "all girls" Christmas party.
I'm so happy to have found this site. I blackout every time I drink, regardless of the quantity. I drink infrequently because I fear these blackouts, once a month, if even. Recently I have become argumentative while in a blackout and fight with my boyfriend. He has started locking our bedroom door because of my attitude. When he tells me the next morning, I have no recollection. I have never been in a fight and dislike cursing. My boyfriend recorded my drunken rant and I hated the person in the recording, it wasn't me :-(
I'm certainly not an alcoholic and dread family functions or nights out with my friends because I will blackout.
I'm certainly not an alcoholic and dread family functions or nights out with my friends because I will blackout.
dont trip corn chip
i am nearing my twenty-first birthday and already have outdone myself with drinking. ive only been drinking since the summer of 2009, casually and with all of the usual hangover symptoms at first. yet shortly after that due to personal events from which i wished to "escape" i increased my drinking and perhaps developed a problem. however,as ive said i have only been drinking for less than two years and in no exaggeration i have blacked out at least thirty times. sometimes i have downed my drinks,hard liqour or wine and in high quantities which would explain the blackouts, yet i switched to beer and have blacked out only twice off of just that.but even in small doses of any type of alcohol other than beer i am almost always certain to blackout,and completely not fragmentary.i have to admit it is the worst feeling in the world to not remember the things you have done the previous niight and have them relayed to you by your friends,especially since for some odd reason the person you become during those times is angry and violent yet while sober you are nothing of that sort. i too have long since experienced the horrible feeling of a hangover;i am almost always up at the crack of dawn,no matter when i went to sleep,and feel fine.however these passed two incidences of drinking i awoke with the worst kind of headache imaginable and was unable to keep even water down for several hours...so...can blackouts be associated with emotional distress,perhaps sensitive blood sugar levels or what?? im not an id**t and clearly my body is telling me that ive had enough,yet ive read stories of people blacking out two to three times in a few years span and i have trumped that by far and that scares me.ive read that females are more susceptible,yet i dont see that as my issue.i do not drink daily anymore,a few times a month if that,but it seems that that does not help to decrease my blackouts...
Hello
I found this link when I was researching blackouts. I have never had the experiences I have had in the past couple years. I understand what is happening as far as drinking too much too fast on an empty stomach is not a good idea for me, however on rare occasion I will be too in the moment to think about if I have eaten and at the time how much I am drinking. So a fun late morning/early afternoon of mimosa's turns into a blackout for me and then I abuse my boyfriend verbally and throw things and I don't do those things so when I am being told what happened it really scares me because it doesn't sound like me and I have no recollection of any of it but there are signs in the house of damage from me. I once thought that they were just telling me a crazy story but it was me and my outburst in a blackout. I will usually have a beer with my boyfriend during the week but it is no more than 1-2 and then we go on doing what we want. On occasion we have bbq's and those are no big deal either especially when we are eating and drinking over several hours. I am very ashamed at some of the things I have said and done this past saturday and I don't understand why I cant just pass out. The blacking out and functioning and not knowing is scary.