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

f**k you who are you to tell her she's in denial f*****g grandpa

I'm 28 and didn't start drinking until I was 21 believe it or not. For the past year or so i've been blacking out close to every single time I drink. I normally drink at home cozied up on my couch with my boyfriend and always wake up in my PJ's in bed with him as I should. He has to then relay the events of the night to me which are usually "We watched a few espisodes of 'Mike & Molly', we ate, and you went to bed". According to him I am always coherent and he doesn't even know that I'm blacked out. Like another commenter, I tend to do everyday things. I'll wash and put away dishes, prepare food, tidy up, scoop my cats litter.

That being said.. My mother was a raging alcoholic and I was unfortunate enough to live with her in the 4-5 years she went off the deep end. She always had a drink every now and again. Her father dying suddenly is what set it off. Her alcohol consumption was a non-issue up until this point. A couple months after my 21st birthday I was diagnosed with MS. I am doing very well and am so thankful for it. I will always say that dealing with my mother and her "illness" made MS a cake walk. She would drink in her car in the parking lot at her job and pass out only to be discovered by colleagues. She'd somehow manage to drive home, never being pulled over and with obvious damage to the car. She fell in the drive way once and smacked her head on a stone. If  not for a neighbor watering his lawn she could have laid there for hours. She used to drive me to my MS appoinments while drunk and high on prescription pills. I couldn't drive because I had double vision. Once she called my sister crying that she was going to drive her car into the river and kill herself. Me, my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend, as well as my uncle and soon after most of the bergen county police force were out driving around at 9pm on a Tuesday trying to find her. She was eventually found passed out at the wheel of her car which was still in drive in the middle of a road 2 blocks from our home. She had managed to put her foot on the brake before she passed out and the officers found an empty 1 liter bottle of vodka a few feet from the car.

Many nights I spent in any given ER giving information the nurses and staff because she was beyond incapacitated or getting called by an ER worker that she was found drunk and to come pick her up. I stopped doing this after the first couple times. She would always walk home the next morning. Many days spent screaming and fighting and crying... Using every ounce of self control to not strangle her and get it over with. I was sure she was going to die. She was in more than 4 different renabs but only managed to stay sober for a few weeks after getting out. Four years ago I finally had enough money to move out and away from her. She then moved into a small apartment and since I was still the closest to her I was constantly called by the police, the hospitals, and the landlord when she was found passed out and covered in  vomit. Three years ago she was hospitalized and in the ICU (not her first time). Once she recovered they immediately sent her to a rehab in Florida. She was there for over a year and then went straight to sober living and now surrounds herself with mostly other recovering alcoholics and goes to meetings several times a day. She cannot return to NJ because we're sure she'll go back to her old ways. Regardless of how well she's doing now I will never forgive her for this. I experienced it in a way much different from the rest of our family because I was there and they werent. She never lost her job and instead resigned while in the florida rehab. This is what being in with the CEO and banging the VP for 10 years behind my fathers back will secure you. She somewhow managed not to lose a lot and actually got the chance to end things on her own terms (resigning, leaving my father.. with nothing I might add. They had to sell the house because it was going to be foreclosed. They split the money and he had no choice but to go back to Ireland since he couldn't work and had nothing here).

The words above are a description of a true alcoholic. I'm sure my mother did a lot of blacking out but she also destroyed her life and my fathers life. She caused ever lasting emotional damge to myself, other family, and her friends and coworkers. Everything is different because of her and her inability to behave like a normal member of society. The original poster along with a few others are NOT alcoholics and neither am I. An addiction is something you cannot control. You cannot space it out to every weekend. It is every moment. I do not have an explanation for my blackouts or any one elses and I wish I did. I don't know if it's the MS, hormonal changes, a developed allergy or what. I do know that I enjoy drinking for fun and am not controlled by it. I do not cause any one to be emotionaly distraught with my drinking or go in to severe finanacial decline due to it. Maybe one day someone will have a true and scientific reason for this but in the meantime those who seek out oportunites to upset others can go drive into a river.

I get blackouts to when I drink I'm speaking and acting normal walking fine and dancing away all my friends say I look sober . I don't drink every weekend I'm lucky to go out every 3 month I would like to now how this happened too

I wonder if people who eat a burger once a week realize how much worse that is for your body than getting drunk weekly. I digress. I came here looking for the same answer as the original question seeks. I certainly drank too often for about a year or two, then I fell into what I consider mild alcoholism (getting drunk at least twice a week. I say mild because my best friend was at 6+ times a week, which is true alcoholism). Now, while I really enjoy good alcohol, I don't get drunk very often, seeing as my depression has taken a positive turn. However, I black out after a few beers. I usually forget a few hours. Back when I was getting sloshed regularly, I rarely blacked out. I suspect it's permanent (or quasi permanent) brain damage. I don't really feel as quick witted or sharp as I used to, and my lexicon has diminishes slightly. However, I have also been out of school for a few years, and my friends who have far more serious alcoholism than i don't suffer these same problems.

Where did you get your doctorate? These people are saying after 2-3 glasses of wine they back out. what if they said they never drank in there life but had one glass and blacked out? would you say either you have no tolerance and that is why and also if you do have a tolerance then you are an alcoholic? everyone that blacks out is not an alcoholic. there may be a chemical imbalance in the brain. there may be less antigens in the blood to fight off the alcohol. you are ignorant and might feel like and elitist. You sir are actual a piece of sh*t.The person that posted was asking for help and you spewed pure ignorant garbage.

Wow some people are idiots.

I read that there have been studies recently on brainwave patterns in those who have alcohol related blackouts. What it basically comes down to is the fact that some people are born with brains that are predisposed have blackouts while some aren't. The studies referred to a "biological switch" which is affected by alcohol and affects the part of the brain which deals with multitasking. It doesn't mean you're drinking more than anyone else, you're an alcoholic or that you are intolerant to alcohol. It's all about the brainwaves (man).

I understand why you are saying what you are saying, but some people do suffer this without being alcoholics. Either way the solution may be the same, but it may be wise for these people to speak to a professional rather than just abstain.

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This is me. I had 4 glasses of prosecco yesterday was slurring my speach after one and by the 4th (over 3 hrs) I dont remember all the conversations I had... and I was mean to my hubby. I don't understand where my tolerance went.

Best reply yet . Thank you so much. I was literally about to leave the site with all the judgmental comments and I happen to scroll past your response. Thanks a lot

Lighten up, wow. It is extremely common to drink at least once a week especially at her age, it doesn't sound to me like she has a drinking problem at all.

Be aware of being an as****e.

This is an old post but I want to say thank you sir for your reply. I looked this up because I have the same problem and instead of answers I read ignorant, judgmental replies that truly upset me. I was going to post something until I read yours and I couldnt have said it better.

Very well stated. And I agree with everything you just said! She said she was asking for help and everyone just seamed to avoid that and judge her.

Thank you Tom! You're awesome! I black out almost every time I drink. I go out once every few months. I started drinking at 20 and could drink a lot and be completely fine. Now, if I have more than 2 drinks, I get 5 day hangovers and I blackout. I am 22 and this started about 6 months ago. The people around me have NO clue that I am blacked out but it's so scary to wake up the next day having NO clue what happened. I haven't ever talked to anyone who blacks out like I do so people usually snicker and insult me if I ever bring it up and just jump to saying that I'm an alcoholic. I can go months without drinking and not even think about it! When I go out though... it is difficult to hold back from drinking when everyone else is drinking and having fun. Unfortunately, I have blacked out so many times at this point, I will have to quit drinking altogether until I figure out what is wrong. If you have this problem, don't listen to anyone when they tell you you're an alcoholic! All I have found from all my research is that we just have this switch in our brain that alcohol shuts down the short term memory. I wish I could find more answers but this is the best I've found! Good luck to you all in finding answers! My best piece of advice is just to quit drinking altogether until you figure out what is wrong. It sucks but so does waking up in random places with excruciating hangovers.

I agree. Very considerate, informative post.