Falling asleep suddenly

[Parkrun69]

Ive just returned from a very short golf weekend, embarrassingly I fell asleep at the table over dinner I was mortified we had been drinking a lot that day so I put it down to that .
The following evening most of our group had gone to bed and I last remember talking to someone I had never met before the next moment I realised I had actually fallen asleep standing up , I woke up on my feet the bar empty, I felt scared at that moment if I’m honest , my anxiety is off the charts currently.
I can’t tell you how much this has worried me since Sunday .
I do drink probably every evening and since Sunday this is the first time I have been 3 days without a drink .
Ive started to realise I’m falling asleep most nights on the sofa , if I go out the moment I get in a taxi I’m sleep .
I also developed dreadful amnesia the day after .
I actually scared I’m going to get myself in a bad situation.

How much do you drink on a typical night? This really sounds like you're passing out rather than falling asleep, especially with the memory loss.

The falling asleep standing up sounds more like a black out to be honest. In blackouts, people can have conversations, do things - even drive, but have no memory of it. It is not the same as passing out and it happens when blood alcohol levels rise quickly. The effect of the alcohol means you cannot form new memories but you will be able to recall existing memories.

The other examples of falling asleep on the sofa or in the taxi after drinking sound fairly typical when someone has drank too much - but if you have amnesia, you are probably having a black out.

So it’s good you’ve stopped drinking as clearly you are at risk of doing something which could cause you harm (no judgement- I’ve had problems with alcohol myself).

You might want to read a bit more about the effects of alcohol on the brain/blackouts to motivate you to stop drinking/significantly reduce your intake. The Sober Powered (free) podcast is a great resource for this.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6668891/

Thank you very much Cunningfungus that actually makes a lot of sence I will read the article you attached.
This has been a huge wake up call .
in answer to Beststoredinafridge typically home around 6 45 pm Large G&T my wife will normally have opened a bottle of wine but she will only drink one medium glass with her dinner , I will finish the bottle then probably another large glass from a screw top bottle I guess so it looks like I haven’t opened another bottle ( I’m just kidding myself ) .
On a Sunday we will go out for Sunday lunch normally 3 pints of Guinness
bottle of red wine ,she will have a glass then come home and I will drink another bottte falling asleep before the second half of the football around 5 30 waking around 8 pm to finish the last glass .
As I’m typing this I’m starting to understand and admit I think I have an issue .

I’ve been doing a whole lot more reading especially on MN alcohol support forum and I think what I’ve described is not falling asleep I’m having Blackouts !
This has tripled my anxiety but I’m starting to come to terms with my issues.
Ive been asked before if I’m ADHD or bipolar which I probably have mild signs of , from what I’m reading alcohol and ADHD is incompatible in any form .
This is the start of a huge journey I think .

@Parkrun69 good luck on your journey. Read as much as you can/listen to podcasts about an area of problem drinking you find interesting. For me it’s alcohol and the brain/gut and the problems it
causes. The more I read, the more not drinking makes sense. I’m late 50s and I do not want to hit my 60s with chronic debilitating problems caused by bloody alcohol!

I’m finding it helpful to focus on what I’m gaining rather than what I’m missing out on - I’m about 2/3 through a 100 day health drive which as well as no alcohol includes exercising, eating well (no processed food, cooking from scratch, less caffeine etc), sleep hygiene/bedtime meditation and less phone use. I avoided socialising (apart from coffee meet ups) for about a month but am now able to go to the pub without feeling triggered or having FOMO. I only stay as long as I’m comfortable ie until folk start getting tipsy. It’s great just jumping in the car and driving home!

Ive had a few rough days feeling depressed, why me, I just want to drink normally etc but now that I understand why I’m feeling like this (after listening to the alcohol and the brain podcasts) it’s so much easier to cope with - I know this is an essential part of healing and that it will pass,

good luck - a better life awaits!

edited to add - there is an episode on sober powered podcast that covers blackouts - it’s equally enlightening and terrifying!