Have you ever experienced a "black out" when you were drunk?

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JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,599
1,001
126
Yes, you should be held responsible for what you do during a black out.

If you are experiencing them frequently then you definitely have a drinking problem IMO.

Once was enough for me.
 

JRS4224

Senior member
Oct 2, 2003
204
0
0
Yea they happen and I have had them but not frequently. I think you friend needs to learn his limit because you usually need to drink a lot to have a black out. It is kind of weird because you can usually remember something that happened and then be like I have no idea what happenend after that, but sometimes the memories can be sparked by someone telling you about it. You pretty much lose control of everything you do and since you have no memory of it you usually don't even know what you are doing as it happens during the black out.
 

biostud

Lifer
Feb 27, 2003
20,148
7,274
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No, I throw up before I get so drunk. I guess my body has some kind of safety device.
 

Aharami

Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
21,205
165
106
happend a couple times back in the college days.. would be like faded memories. wouoldnt remember what happened that night
 

Harvey

Administrator<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
35,059
73
91
Your friend, Josh has some serious problems. If he regularly blanks out after drinking, either he's habitually drinking way too much, or if it doesn't take that much to do it, he shouldn't drink at all. Get him to an M.D. or a shrink. Sooner is better.
 

knivox

Senior member
Jun 29, 2000
424
0
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Happened to me once. I remembered a few bits and pieces, after my friends described everything that went on. It's a bit like trying to remembering a dream.
 

jjones

Lifer
Oct 9, 2001
15,424
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I've never had a blackout from drinking alone, but I've had them when drinking in combination with drugs like valium, seconal, etc. It didn't happen often, maybe half a dozen times, and I really didn't like it when I would suddenly wake up in the morning, have no idea how I got to wherever I happened to be, and couldn't remember anything past a certain point the previous evening.

I don't like being that out of control so I tried to be careful about it; even so, given that I'm prone to bad judgement after drinking a bit at parties, it did happen that I augmented my drinking with pills more than once. And yes, I do think I should be held responsible for anything that happened.
 

bunker

Lifer
Apr 23, 2001
10,572
0
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I've had it happen quite a few times when I was a moron in high school and drank myself silly. You have no idea it's happening and don't realize you forgot things until the next day.

And yes, you should be held responsible for whatever happens if you black out. You're the moron that drank that much, so you're responsible for what you do!
 

Beattie

Golden Member
Sep 6, 2001
1,774
0
0
I blacked out this weekend. Saturday night I was in Philly with some friends drinking. I remember sitting at this place and then I got up to go to my room and the next thing I remember is waking up in bed with my girlfriend.
 

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
I wonder if any of those girls ever got pregnant...

Blackouts occur because alcohol saturates the brain, and prevents the sober memory from recording events properly. However, it is known that once drunk again, you remember those events that happened while drunk before, but forgot when sober.
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
21,330
1
81
Originally posted by: Dezign
Damn. So you honestly don't remember a thing... there are "gaps" in memory from the night before? Can you tell when you're beginning to black out, or does it just happen all of a sudden? Do you think someone can or should be held responsible for what they do during a "blackout"?

It's only related to how much you drink to a certain extent. There are sometimes where I had well over 20 beers, and I would wake up the next morning remembering most if not all of the night. There were also times that I didn't know how I got home or the things I did after having 20 beers.

There have also been times when I've had a 12 pack, feeling kinda drunk, and haven't remembered a thing about the night. Other times it's clear as a daisy.

The other night I had about 14 beers and 5 shits, and remember the night vividly. So it all depends.

My friend who drinks as much or a little less then me never suffers from "blackouts".

I don't think its a blackout as far as your thinking it is. The drunk blackout referring to memory doesn't usually involve you physically blacking out. I've stayed awake and comprehensive the entire night and still suffered from blackouts or memory gaps in the morning. It's more of your mind not remembering what you did than actually blacking out, with you being conscious during that period.

A person should always be held accountable when drinking. Otherwise, they should not be drinking at all. Me and my friends have fvcked up plenty of times while piss drunk, and always owned up to the consequences. It comes with the territory.
 

Ness

Diamond Member
Jul 10, 2002
5,407
2
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I wouldn't call it a black out, but a couple weekend ago my friends and I were at a party... we went back to my friend's dorm to get something or other... I remember leaving.. and the next thing I remember is that one of my friends and I had split a grande meal at Taco Bell. I don't remember walking to Taco Bell, asking if he wanted to split the grande meal with me, ordering, going to sit down...

I was obviously aware of what was going on or the moment that I first remember, I probably would have flipped out.

I hadn't really had that much, either. Maybe 8 beers and half a two-liter that was 1/5 rum...
 

dxkj

Lifer
Feb 17, 2001
11,772
2
81
Yup.... 34 drinks I think it was... My friend was keeping count because he never drank much. It was at his bachelors party..... The funny thing was though, the blackout only lasted for 1hr.... I remember what happened up until 1:30.... then at 2:30 i have memories again befre I went to sleep....

Anyway, never again. i dont even want to know my BAC
 

LS20

Banned
Jan 22, 2002
5,858
0
0
memory lapse is common.. happened a bunch of times...

the only time i completely blacked out was when i manhandled my alky... last memory i had was sitting with friends with a few beers and a handle of vodka and a shot glass in front of me. some 15 hours later i woke up in my boxers, with vomit on my pillow, and a swollen eye from falling head first onto the concrete. i only had a few flashes of collapsing on my floor in my room with my friends trying to help me. i remembered absolutely nothing other than that
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
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Originally posted by: Ness
I wouldn't call it a black out, but a couple weekend ago my friends and I were at a party... we went back to my friend's dorm to get something or other... I remember leaving.. and the next thing I remember is that one of my friends and I had split a grande meal at Taco Bell. I don't remember walking to Taco Bell, asking if he wanted to split the grande meal with me, ordering, going to sit down...

I was obviously aware of what was going on or the moment that I first remember, I probably would have flipped out.

That IS a blackout.
 

moshquerade

No Lifer
Nov 1, 2001
61,504
12
56
yes, i have, and it's not something to be proud or to brag about. when you over-drink like that you are being nothing but a dumbass.
 

clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
26,256
406
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A couple times. At the time it wasn't like "Oh I'm going to black out," but the next morning I wondered how I got where I was.

I remember one time I had too much and was puking in the bathroom, the next thing I know it's morning on I'm on the couch. Apparently I got out of the bathroom and went to the couch, and puked more at some point, before falling asleep. That kind of scared me but that what you get for drinking so much.
 

remagavon

Platinum Member
Jun 16, 2003
2,516
0
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Originally posted by: saxophonoia
Yes I have experienced that before and after I did I vowed never to drink to that point again. It is not a good feeling at all to not know what happened and how you got where you did.

Yeah that does lead to extremely horrible things sometimes. Stupid people.
 

imported_Tomato

Diamond Member
Sep 11, 2002
7,608
0
0
Originally posted by: Harvey
Your friend, Josh has some serious problems. If he regularly blanks out after drinking, either he's habitually drinking way too much, or if it doesn't take that much to do it, he shouldn't drink at all. Get him to an M.D. or a shrink. Sooner is better.

Oh dear. :( Harvey, do you think a shrink/psychiatrist is really necessary? Could this be a sign of deeper issues, or can his body just not handle such quantities of alcohol?
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
0
Originally posted by: Dezign
Originally posted by: Harvey
Your friend, Josh has some serious problems. If he regularly blanks out after drinking, either he's habitually drinking way too much, or if it doesn't take that much to do it, he shouldn't drink at all. Get him to an M.D. or a shrink. Sooner is better.

Oh dear. :( Harvey, do you think a shrink/psychiatrist is really necessary? Could this be a sign of deeper issues, or can his body just not handle such quantities of alcohol?

Is he Asian? On average, Asian livers can't process alcohol as efficient, so that could part of the problem. But yeah, ANYBODY who regularly drinks to blackout has problems, and shouldn't be drinking such quantities.
 

imported_Tomato

Diamond Member
Sep 11, 2002
7,608
0
0
Originally posted by: SagaLore
I wonder if any of those girls ever got pregnant...

Blackouts occur because alcohol saturates the brain, and prevents the sober memory from recording events properly. However, it is known that once drunk again, you remember those events that happened while drunk before, but forgot when sober.

How strange... so once the brain is saturated with alcohol again, he will remember events that happened during the blackout? Or does he need to black out again in order to recall events from the blackout (which wouldn't be very useful)?
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
0
Originally posted by: moshquerade
yes, i have, and it's not something to be proud or to brag about. when you over-drink like that you are being nothing but a dumbass.

Same... one experience is enough for me. But i had a friend that regularly got drunked and blackoutted... and he wasn't a good drunk. He's the type that gets mean and violent. But he does because it gives him an excuse to act the way he acts.