Black Out - Al-Anon Family Group

oldergal · Senior Member

Black Out

maryjane · ~*Service Worker*~

Hi,
I am not a heavy drinker and have never had a black out myself. But my hubby of 40 yrs. had them. I don't know how much because he doesn't much talk about it. I know of two times. The first was in the 1970's and he was a medic in the natl guard. He said he had an evening of cards and beer drinking and then went to bed. He was woken up in the wee hours of the night by a soldier who was partying too hard and needed stitches. My hubby didn't remember any of this but was told he did a great job at stiching up the wound. The next morning the soldier came by and thanked him for doing a good job on his wound and hubby said he was mystified at what the guy was talking about. The other guys filled him in. He was really embarrassed.

The second time that I know of for sure was about the early 1980's. We had had some pretty good sex the night before and the next morning I said something to him about it being a good time last night and he looked at me with an amused look on his face and I knew he didn't remember a thing. I said to him too bad you don't have the good memory that I have. It was his loss.

That's all I know about that subject.

Ness · ~*Service Worker*~

Hi Oldergal

A book I found extremely informative is Under the Influence by Dr James Millam, you can only get it secondhand now I think, I got mine on Amazon. Taught me a lot about the disease of alcoholism.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm you also might find this helpful.

(((((Ness)))))

pineapple · ~*Service Worker*~

For what it's worth, I had two incidents of blackouts due to drinking in my early twenties. I'd had probably six or seven drinks over the course of an evening each time. It took a DUI to bring me to my senses and curb my excessive drinking. I still drink on occasion, a beer or glass of wine or two. But three is my absolute limit and I have no problem sticking to that. Unfortunately, my ah drinks enough to have blackouts two or three times a week. The funny thing (not funny as in laugh, but funny as in ironic I guess) is that it takes him only two or three drinks to reach that stage. When we first started going out he could have three or four beers with no visible effects. But things have sure changed since then. I don't know for sure, but i guess it's the progression of alcoholism.

Jerry F · ~*Service Worker*~

Aloha Oldergal...Blackout phenominum doesn't have a regular set of steps or conditions such as number of drinks or history of drinking. I've listened to lots of recovering alcoholics describe black outs from the very first drinking events and their descriptions match my own experiences. Alcohol affects everything it comes into contact with and the first thing is the brain and while in the brain it can and will stop the brains ability to record events as they happen. I can be driving a car and my brain can be helping me drive the car but not recording it. I've had those car events and come back to "recording the drive" while driving. The picture isn't getting thru even while I'm performing the event. It is scarey...always has been. I never was able to choose when I went into a blackout or when I came out of one...I had no control over it and you could say that is just one piece of "powerlessness". The book suggestion of "Under the Influence" is a very good one for those who want better evidence on the cunning, powerful and baffling aspects of alcohol. It was one of my college texts and considered the best piece of education on the subject.

Alcohol is a mind and mood altering chemical...It is not a health aid...it doesn't do anything positive for the person or human system no matter what you hear. When you hear both sides of the evidence it's enough to tell a person...Beware...don't touch; just like the old drawings of a bottle with 3XXX's on it and a skull and cross bones. The elders knew and then....

(((((hugs))))) smile

maresie · ~*Service Worker*~

I think its to do with the amount of alcohol they consume at a given time.

Generally they panic

As far as I know there is no set pattern to it

I think someone in a black out is more volatile than at other times.

The red flag is they have one and then they don't stop drinking.

Maresie.

Katy · ~*Service Worker*~

I asked my husband who is five years sober, he said, alcohol is toxic and a poisen, and the body doesn't like it, especially the brain, he had black outs regularly and was an harden habitual drinker, he had a look in black out but only in hindsiight can I say that, it wouldn't be a sure fire way to know.

Our son is 20, to my knowledge it's only this last few weeks his drinking has progressed from weekly sessions to being drunk three days in a row, and I fear getting worse, he blacks out regularly, when I say blacks out I mean memory loss, he still manages to to ride his motorbike, he broke his leg, he gets beat up, things stolen, and no clue how when or why, the black outs are scary for me because I fear what he could do to someone in that state, and what someone could do to him.

Katy

x

jamfu · Veteran Member

I had an AGF who blacked out every time she drank. I likened it to flipping a lightswitch. One or 2 drinks didn't do it. more like 5-6. But I could always see it coming. I have drink but have never blacked out. It is hard too for me to understand how it happens. I guess it is just a person's physiology.

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