Black outs

Thorbar

This is my first post to PI so forgive me I'm not following proper forum rules or so on, I'm not looking for any virtual hugs just curious if people suffer from the same thing and if I should get this checked out. Last few drinking binges I've been on I've completely forgotten the last few hours of the night out with only a few images burned into my head from the night out. Apparently I'm acting fairly coherent during these periods and don't seem that drunk or but I'm getting a little sick of waking up on the couch at home at 9 in the morning with no idea how I got there or what happened since around half way thru the night. These black outs are getting a bit more frequent recently and do you think its a case of me drinking more or my brain turning to mush?

d4r3n

try drinking slower, worked for me.

jammy_dodger

afaik everyone is subject to black outs from consumption of alcohol, Some are more susceptible to it than others, Unfortunatly for you, you seem to be prone to black outs, I dont know if their is anything that can be done to correct this reaction to alcohol. But im sure your loacal GP would, So book an appoinment with him/her. He/she will tell you what can be done, You probaly get some tests done. Buts it worth doing, cause one morning, you migh'nt be so lucky too wake on your couch.

davelerave

you may be alcoholic,is your drinking causing problems

Thorbar

Well I've been suffering some serious cases of ring sting recently but seriously I don't think I have a problem. I'm purely a social drinker don't think I've ever sat down in a pub on my own for a pint. Also I'm in America at the moment so if I go to a doctor with anything more serious then a cut finger the bastards will charge me half a grand for it so that sorta rules out proper medical assistance for the next few months.

jammy_dodger

Set up a poll

Spending $500

or dieing from alcohol poisioning.

OK a bit exstream, but still, you should get it checked out

Redshift

Try eating a large meal before you go out it will soak up some of the alcohol which might help and for heavens sake take it easy on the gargle, If your getting drunk to the stage where you can't remember the previous night well then you could be find yourself in a possition where you are unable to look after yourself. It only happened to me once and TBH I was unnerved by not being able to remember the night before let alone how I got home and into bed but lucky for me I was with good friends who were able to take care of me and get me home ok. You may find yourself in a less fortunate possition someday. Try having a glass or orange or water between alcoholic beverages and if it is causing you concern the see your Doctor.

Red

smiles

a poll with what options, i'll set one up if you tell me what you want?

<< Fio >>

irishguy

happens me quite a bit but i only forget small things [i have a bad memory anyway so this doesnt bother me] but there about 2months ago i got really drunk [bottle of vodca + spent another €60 on god knows what] blacked out at about 1am and cant remember the rest of the nite it was really scarey one minute i was in the club the next minute i woke up at home not knowing how i got there fealt really bad [not hungover] till about 5pm the next day it was really werid i even shifed a couple of friends of mine that i have absoutly no memory of has never happend me before sure its early in the summer yet

jammy_dodger

a poll with what options, i'll set one up if you tell me what you want?

I was just using the idea of a poll, to get my point across, that its better to spend money on going to see the doctor, than leave a problem lie, untill its too late.

sorry for the confusion

blahblah

this happens to me quite a lot too,

its because i need more to get drunk than i used to,
i appear to be ok to my friends but the next day i dont remember half the stuff that happened, the thing is that at the time you feel OK and think you are quite sober and you actualy are acting this way but for some reason the brain is asleep in part,

in george best good bad bubbly book, he mentions the same thing about appearing fine but not remembering,

so maybe youre an alcoholic, i only drink at weekends so im ok in that way

b3t4

Have you changed your drink of choice of late??

I used to drink beer all the time then I changed to vodka. I now get black outs when I never got them before. I dont get a hangover either which is brilliant. I supppose it is something I should worry about and my friends don't appreciate having to look after me. Its made for some very interesting stories though.

Rgds,
A.

patch

I think I may have the answer. Clearly your some kind of superhero. You whisk off to deal out some justice etc. etc.

Or maybe your just drinking a little bit more than your body can handle. Happens to us all once in a while. I'd slow it down a bit if I were you.

Praetorian

Your body is trying to tell you to take it easy man! I hope your not under peer pressure to drink as much or more than your friends do.

I frequently finish a night maybe a pint or so "behind" my m8's. Having a low alcohol tolerance saves money too....

Thorbar

Actually I have started drinking vodka more often now beta that might be what's causing it. I'm under no peer pressure from my mates to drink more we're a fairly relaxed group and infact its usually my idea to have a round of shots, but I'm not a fecking alco. I like patchs idea of being a superhero . Oh and during these periods when I can't remember according to my mates I generally act very lucid and don't need to be minded. I'm just glad someone's at the controls up there . Having said that I think I'll lay off the vodka for a while.

John2002

It's vodka that causes memory loss for me anyway. I could sit in a pub for the day drinking pints and remember everything. Then I get a sniff of vodka and I can remember f-all after that. Because of this I'd recommend staying away from the stuff. I've made a promise to myself to not touch it anymore.

Chad ghostal

yeah i have the exact same problem, it doesnt matter what im drinking, although it is more likely to happen when drinking beer/stout as it takes alot more vodka to get me drunk..

it happens so often that iv experienced it in most circumstances, including drinking only a few pints..
there is only one solution in my experience and that is to drink very little...

drinking slowly or changing drinks wont help in my experience, but theres no harm in trying.

if your prone to having a few smokes while drinking its not going to do you any good either.

it also may be worth making the concious effort to remeber things at points in the night, just every now and then
and maybe try to recall whats happened during the night..
this can get annoying and your unlikely to do it if your on the tear..

The Corinthian

Let me get this straight - you drink to excess, black out and now want us to give you a hug because you feel bad about it. What’s wrong with this picture?

As has been suggested, drink slowly, less or not at all. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, or you’ll just come back here looking for another group hug when you black out and this time wake up covered in someone else’s blood...

Thorbar

Originally posted by Thorbar
I'm not looking for any virtual hugs just curious if people suffer from the same thing

Read my post buddy, thanks for the advice tho.

hedgetrimmer

Not trying to scare anyone, but Alcoholics Anonymous have a list of questions - I think 10 in the main one they use (there are a few versions). If you have 3 affirmative answers you are an alcoholic, 2 you hav a drink problem, and 1 then you are borderline. One of them is to do with having blackouts. I had blackouts a few times, but what has been said here is wise...reduce speed and quantity of intake, above all keep yourself hydrated

hedgetrimmer

Originally posted by Thorbar
Well I've been suffering some serious cases of ring sting recently but seriously I don't think I have a problem. I'm purely a social drinker don't think I've ever sat down in a pub on my own for a pint. Also I'm in America at the moment so if I go to a doctor with anything more serious then a cut finger the bastards will charge me half a grand for it so that sorta rules out proper medical assistance for the next few months.

Ring sting is probably as a result of too much yeast. I suffer form yeast issues, so I know most of the symptoms. At least in the states you'll get treated properly and efficiently!! And just to say, a Social Drinker is still a drinker - don;t get me wrong, I'm not anti drink, and I drink meself, but I think it is interesting that people bandy the term social drinker about as if it justifies it

Thorbar

Well I always thought if someone had a problem with the auld demon drink then one sign was that they would be willing to go drinking on their own for the sake of it. Personally unless I'm with a few of my friends and we're having a good night then drink holds no appeal for me and I'll happily spend the night drinking coke. That's one of the major reasons I don't think I have a problem with drink that and the fact that I usually only drink on 2-3 nights a week and only getting proper drunk on one of those.

p.pete

A good sign as to whether your an alcoholic is if you have the ability to go out for just 2 or 3 drinks and then stop. Personally I find it difficult on a session to switch to non-alcoholic drinks after 2 or 3. Half the reason is social pressure and the other half is that I actually want to be drunk too.

In terms of blackouts, I've had quite a few. It's usually more related to changing drinks halfway through than to do with the fact that I've had lorry loads. I find tequilla quite bad but in general if I've been drinking pints and then go for one or two of something else it doesn't help.

Having said that, there has been instances where I have deliberately drank as wide a variety of pints and shorts as possible and the old noggin was working better than it normally would (when drinking that is!).

I used to suffer a lot more blackouts than I would now - the main improvements have been drinking slower and a bit more kop on.

davelerave

another point i'd like to make,most social drinkers will advise you to take it easy ,it's hard for them to put themselves in the shoes of an 'alcoholic' as they are not alcoholic themselves ,the basic test is 'is drink f*&^king up your life' if not try to cut down ,be honest with yourself

eirebhoy

My situation is a bit wierd.

I used to be able to go out on a Saturday night, drink eight pints and be quite drunk but I would still remember everything. Now, I go out on a Saturday night, drink eight pints and remember little.

I am under the age of twenty so I don't know how I can handle less as a I get older.

As a few of the others have said, I can act quite normal one minute and then I'm gone, that is the reason I don't know when to stop. Nobody wants to stop drinking at eleven o'clock and feel sober enough while their mates are drinking. Its not peer pressure its boredom or something.

VarCass

Happens to me occasionally.

But i find it only happens with specific drinks. i could go out, spend close to 90 yo-yo's on drink and remember the night. But if i go out, have a few pints and 1 or 2 whiskeys its black- out time. I wake up the next mornin with a Tarantino hangover i.e the night before replays in my mind like pulp fiction, the end of the night first etc.... :P

Borzoi

Blackouts are 'normal' if you binge drink. Some people will get them more than others, some will have specific triggers some wont.

As with most people, the first time I had one I was a bit freaked, but you get over it. Think of it as an alarm signal, if they continue to happen you have a problem, if you only have them rarely, you probably don't.

If you drink knowing you are going to blackout, you really have a problem - but hey this is only my opinion, and I'm not a doctor/lawyer*

*delete where appropriate

p.pete

Funny thing happened to me at about 07:00 this Monday morning. I actually thought it was about the same time - but on Sunday morning. The other people there were adamant that it was Monday but I refused to believe them.

Basically I had to take myself aside and remember what happened after my Saturday evening - Sunday morning pissup. It all became clear when I realised we had gone to the pub again at 11:30 on Sunday morning. That was the end of Sunday.

Twas very freaky for the first hour or so until I realised.

b3t4

I don't think you can necessarily presume that someone has a drink problem if they have blackouts. As I have posted before I switched my drink to vodka and the blackouts followed (and that wasn't even from drinking to excess) Now that I have switched my drink of choice I no longer suffer blackouts. I believe that I had an intolerence to vodka whereas other drinks don't have the same effect on me (thankfully).

p.pete,
I found your post to be quite scary. I think that you have more of a problem than you are willing to admit. This isn't for me to say but I felt I should comment on your post.

Rgds,
A.

eirebhoy

The first time I ever got a blackout I was crying and thought I was going to die. The second time not quite as bad but had to be carried home. Now when I get every weekend I act like any normal person would on a few pints except I can't remember. The more you have the more likely you'll get another one easier and you'll also act better. I don't find a problem in getting them every week.

Dr. Loon

Originally posted by The Corinthian
As has been suggested, drink slowly, less or not at all. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, or you’ll just come back here looking for another group hug when you black out and this time wake up covered in someone else’s blood...

Holy ****, talk about OTT!!!

Not saying blacking out is a good thing. it's very bad, and how people are dismissing it as a simple side effect of booze here is scary.

Just slow down your drinking majorly, stay off the spirits, and eat a good meal if you are going out on the píss. They shouldn't happen anymore.

Used to happen to me, and now they don't. Mainly as I've cut down drinking. Which is what alot of people here should do.

rubadub

i find blackouts are like your first piss in the pub, after the first they keep coming. the first one you normally get from an extreme drinking binge. from then on you will find yourself slipping into blackouts easily. main cause is drinking beer all day and then hitting shots or barely diluted diuretic drinks (half bottle of redbull with a triple vodka). you are dehydrated from the diuretic effect of the beer (pissing all day) then the vodka goes straight into your system and BANG blackout!

drink plenty of water and eat too. i rarely get blackouts on beer unless i really guzzle on an empty stomach.

drink shots early and beer later.

after a while you can sense a blackout coming on and stop drinking for a while and hit the water. if you are that pissed there is still alcohol in your system yet to take effect and you will still be pissed all night, the water will stave off a hangover too. it may take a few years before you can sense them though.

above all they are a waste of time. you go to a music festival or holiday and cant remember a thing that happened, may aswell have stayed in.