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Alcoholism

Blackouts

Answered by Donna Hunter, LCSW, CAP

Question

I am 18. My friends and I like to drink and we will all get pretty wasted at one of our houses like 2 or 3 times a week. It’s a pretty normal thing for us to do around here. Lately I have been having blackouts. I don’t drink any more than I used to (like a 12 pack) but now I can’t remember shit about what I did the night before after about the 8 beer stage. None of my other friends seem to black out like I do. Does this mean I am becoming an alcoholic?

Blackouts are a serious signal  that your body is giving you.  When a person dis drinking the same amount they always did but starting to blackout it mean the body is not able to deal with the alcohol and your tolerance is changing.  A change in tolerance is one of the criteria for Alcohol Dependence.  As a teenager, your body and brain are still developing.  Alcohol is in essence a poison.  Even though you believe you are old enough to make your own decisions and deal with consequences, you physiology says otherwise.  So simply put, yes, having blackouts means you are on the fast-track to becoming an alcoholic.

About the Expert

Donna Hunter

LCSW, CAP

Booneville, United States of America

Specialties

Dissociative Disorders, Mood Disorders, Gay Lesbian Issues, Anxiety or Fears, Spirituality, Compulsive Disorders, Trauma and PTSD, Life Coaching, Addiction or Substance Abuse, OCD, EMDR, Parenting, Domestic Abuse or Domestic Violence, Chronic Pain or Illness, Relationship Issues, Loss or Grief, Depression, Women

License

my_license #2505-C