This'll get me in trouble one day...

[Cedophile]

I have a problem.

I don't drink often (that's not the problem, though). I drink maybe 2 or 3 times a month. When I do, however, I go full on.

Now there's something about me that I've noticed happening 3 times already in the last year. I have an unusual propensity to sleepwalk. I remember almost everything right before I go to sleep. But I remember almost nothing when I'm actually sleepwalking.

Once it was at a friend's hotel. I stayed there for the night, and woke up to find myself in a different room. I have a fuzzy memory of having gone to the bathroom, but outside of 2 seconds over the toilet, I remember nothing.

The second time, I was drinking in this house and went into my room to sleep. I (apparently) got up, tried to go to the bathroom and ended up entering another resident's room. The guy there was nice about it though. He pointed me to a bathroom and sent me on my way.
Then I kept trying to unlock the door to the neighboring room. This pissed the resident right off. I remember waking up standing there being yelled at for something. I learned the next day that I was trying twice to unlock his door.

The third time was far less damaging. I drank a lot, went to bed fully clothed, and awoke to find that, while I was still fully clothed, the boxers I was wearing were on the other side of the room.
Everyone said I didn't go running naked through the house, and they all took great joy in this drunken feat I accomplished (how I mustered the wherewithal to take off my pants and my boxers, and put my pants back on in such a sleepy drunken state is beyond me... also, why did I do that?).

I wonder if there's a way to fix this problem... this could get me in a lot of trouble.

[Cedophile]

Note on the first event: I drank about 4 cups straight of something 40% from a Dutch guy. Think it was called Bokma. DUDE that was some heavy stuff.

Then about 4 more cups with coke as a mixer.

[Maevis]

Does this ONLY happen when you've been drinking large amounts of alcohol?

In that case, you are not experiencing sleepwalking, you are experiencing blackouts. Basically your brain is so addled by the alcohol that your short-term memory is no longer functioning. Therefore you can still engage in activities such as walking, talking, looking for the restroom, and scarily enough even drive (though very very poorly).

If you experience cases of somnambulation without the prescence of alcohol, then you may want to research a few sleep-disorder clinics. If you truly do have a sleepwalking disorder, you'll want to keep in mind that alcohol can aggravate that disorder, (along with caffiene and other medications).

If you aren't going to avoid alcohol altogether, here are a few things that work for me:

1. Eat before you drink! This slows down the absorbtion of alcohol into your system,
Plus, for me anyway, it limits the amount beer/liquids that I can consume. (Particularly if beer is involved)

2. I have a fanatical love of beer. Ergo, I do not keep it in my house...or I will happily sit down and drink an entire six-pack...or if I really really want a beer because it would be an excellent addition to that beautiful pot-roast, I will buy ONE. (Much like I don't keep chocolate cake in the house...I'll only bake one if I'm having people over for a birthday party...then left-overs get sent off to other peoples homes).

3. Social Drinking: If I'm going out to dinner with a couple of friends I may have a cocktail or a beer and limit myself to that. (In my experience if I drink more than that I get rather loud and obnoxious...and I would prefer being invited out to dinner again rather than being shunned).

If I go to a party where alot of people are drinking I bring along non-alcoholic beverages for me to sip on.

The two I like best are ginger ale...it has a bite to it and if I put a cherry in it, looks a bit more festive.
7-up with a splash of rosa's lime juice + a few shakes of bitters. I love to make mixed drinks and this lets me have the "bartender" experience without over doing it.

For every alcohol drink I drink either water or one of the above. It's all about pacing yourself.

4. If I go out to a bar I bring enough to buy two drinks. Out of cash? No more drinks.


Not that I've never ignored the advice I give myself...but I've found this makes my life much happier and more enjoyable.


Here are some reference sites if you want to read up on sleepwalking and/or alcohol:


National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/

National Sleep foundation http://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeptionary/index.php?id=22

Psychologytoday.com
http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/sleepwalking.html

[Seanette]

Sounds to me like you should really consider cutting the alcohol way down in any one session or just cutting it out altogether. Contrary to what some former co-workers of mine "thought", it is very possible to enjoy life without getting drunk, and your post had me thinking that drinking is putting you in potentially dangerous situations.

[Cedophile]

Ahh thanks for advice! In response to Maevis, it has only ever happened when I had drunk a lot, so I guess this qualifies as blacking out.

I'll take some of the suggestions to heart. It's better that I work this out now, while I'm in no position to get to a car. You think it would be a good idea for somone to invent a car key with a breathalizer attached? hehe

[Banrion]

You mean something like this!

http://www.lifesafer.com/features.asp
or
http://www.stopdwi.com/