I black out almost everytime I drink. I am not an alcoholic.

i know exactly what is happening to you, i have the same issue. We don't realize that we are getting drunk, so we drink more than we should at rapid rates. Because alcohol takes 60-90 minutes to fully enter the bloodstream, when we drink so fast, we go from thinking we aren't drunk, to waking up in random beds naked having no recollection. People need to be more educated about this scary matter. To prevent this from occurring SLOW DOWN WHEN YOU DRINK. tally mark your drinks on your hand. and best of all, when you have had enough, just say NO.

One of the best responses I have seen. And let me point out that females absorb more alcohol into their bloodstream than men, meaning females can get drunk faster off of less alcohol.

I am not judging but I've been saying I'm not am alcoholic bit now I'm not so sure. I only drink weekends and i can go weeks without dining but i don't prefer to. I blackout usually. In my mind i have no drunk stage bit others probably think i do. Sometimes i.can't even walk. But usually i just don't remember anything. And i do the dumbest things like grab people sexually and try to jump out of moving cars. I really want to stop drinking. I just recently started having blackouts like within the last year. It has ruined my relationship and my self esteem. Anyway just thought id share

Forget about the label of alcoholic...who cares? What I'm a little surprised about is that in spite of all the negative effects of drinking you don't even entertain the idea of not drinking. Why not? If you started drinking at 13 you have probably done some physiological damage to your body. That's why you have no "drunk stage". Honey, most people would stop if they had these negative effects. Alcoholic means only one thing...that you've lost the power of choice with drink. Ask yourself honestly if that's the case or not. In either case its probably best to let it go. But can you?

Tom

Do you have any alcoholics in your family? The same thing used to happen to me I would go from tipsy to waking up the next morning and needing people to tell me what happened the whole night and even got breathalized one night blowing a .345 which means a person could literally drink my blood and get drunk off it. I never craved and and actually didnt really enjoy drinking that much I just did it kinda cause there was nothing else to do. I moved away from school so I could save myself from anything else bad happening to me realizing it was not that i was an alcoholic but that i had alcoholic genes in me making me drink so much and i think if i didn't move away then eventually i may have turned into an alcoholic does that make sense? Alcoholism is a sickness and something if it is in genes can be a sickness that you have a chance of contracting its not your fault you may have alcoholic genes not an be an alcoholic. Maybe stop drinking for a little to give your self a chance to figure everything out.

i can relate we seem to have a lot in common i am also a 19 yr old female. i have black outs my first black out was they first time i ever drank....when i was 13. lately its like i black out anytime i drink anything other than beer. blacking out is really a scary thing. except were different because i do think maybe i could be an alcoholic its not that i drink every day but if people are around and their drinking i wanna drink to, which wouldn't be that big of a deal if i could stop once i started. ive tried slowing down but i didnt really succeed. i tried talking to a friend and my sister about my drinking but they didnt take it seriously. i dont know what to do i know i want to stop just not sure how....i keep telling myself that i dont want anyone to know i think i have a problem because then they will look at me differently i mean im only 19. 

Hi :)

I am in the same boat, i am 23years & these black outs have been happening for at least 5 years... I had 3 drinks & 1 shot on the weekend & i blacked out & no one ieven thought i was drunk? i didnt even feel drunk? Have you figured out a solution? I am thinking about giving up drinking also, i dont drink wine anymore as that is the worst for blacking out for me, but now spirits too?!!!

I find this kind of blatent steeotyping both insulting and misinformed. I drink once every few months (just on special occasions) and i do not drink to excess nor have i ever. I am not an alcoholic and i do not have a problem with portion control however i have the same problem. I only have to drink 2 glasses of wine and i find myself waking up the next morning with no memory of the night before. My husband says i never seem drunk and that i function as normal and is completely unaware that i am having a blackout. I have friends whom drink far more than i do and do not have the same effect. Why is this? I realise that most (uneducated) people will either say i haven't built up a tolerance or i am an alcoholic as if there is no middle ground. As for the 'labellers' on this site, do some research before pigeon holing anyone who says they have a drink as an alcoholic. It's not a 'one size fits all' situation, no two people's brain function is the same. So before painting everyone with your 'black or white' way of thinking consider your own niavety. Or perhaps don't judge others by your own experiences, as i guarantee everyone who has cried 'alcoholic' on this thread is someone who has either been an alcoholic or has suffered at the hands of one.

Spare a kind thought for the poor girl who may or may not have a serious problem. I suggest seeking medical advise from an expert in this field. I plan to do so myself. Do not except the word of people on a website as they could be anyone with any kind of an agenda.

Good luck.

I have the same problem if i drink i black out. Now by drinking I only need to drink 4-5 beer and I wont remember the night. I am not a alcoholic i might actually get drunk 4 times a year if that and might drink 5 beer a month. I do not drink on a regular basis nor do i ever have cravings to drink.

typical student reply, drop in some long words and arrange them in a wordy fashion
.

Sorry, but you are in denial.

Basically what your saying is anyone who drinks at all is an alcoholic?

Even if you don't think you are an alcoholic, if you are having problems with memory loss when you drink, the solution is simple: Don't drink. If you aren't willing to quit drinking completely, then you are probably an alcoholic.

I am sure that this discussion has not been partclarly helpful.  I belive that this girl would have asked whether she had a drinking problem or not if that was what she would have liked to find out. Before answering - read the question properly. She was not asking what she should do - she was asking about the damage that she may have casued to her body. It was not a request ot be judged or labelled, but to receive a proper answer to the question what might cause her to blackout. Being labelled an alcoholic is probably not a helpful answer!  

Hey!

I used to have a high tollerance to drink and did drink way too much but since I had my baby 18 months ago I have blackouts when I drink, it doesnt even need to be alot of drink to make me blackout. im ok with a glasss of wine or two at home but when Im out, as soon as the fresh air hits me I go blank! I dont have any warning or the feeling of being drunk.  Also, Im not an aggressive person normally but my partner has told me on a few occasions that I have been angry and aggressive towards him. Today he left me! :( no more booze for me! Apparently the alcohol switches off the part of the brain that stores short term memory so you are continuing to function but your memory doesnt store ANY of it :/ Scary x