Book Review: Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola

"It's such a savage thing to lose your memory, but the crazy thing is, it doesn't hurt one bit. A blackout doesn't sting, or stab, or leave a scar when it robs you. Close your eyes and open them again. That's what a blackout feels like."

For Sarah Hepola, alcohol was "the gasoline of all adventure." She spent her evenings at cocktail parties and dark bars where she proudly stayed till last call. Drinking felt like freedom, part of her birthright as a strong, enlightened twenty-first-century woman.

But there was a price. She often blacked out, waking up with a blank space where four hours should be. Mornings became detective work on her own life. What did I say last night? How did I meet that guy? She apologized for things she couldn't remember doing, as though she were cleaning up after an evil twin. Publicly, she covered her shame with self-deprecating jokes, and her career flourished, but as the blackouts accumulated, she could no longer avoid a sinking truth. The fuel she thought she needed was draining her spirit instead.

A memoir of unblinking honesty and poignant, laugh-out-loud humor, BLACKOUT is the story of a woman stumbling into a new kind of adventure--the sober life she never wanted. Shining a light into her blackouts, she discovers the person she buried, as well as the confidence, intimacy, and creativity she once believed came only from a bottle. Her tale will resonate with anyone who has been forced to reinvent or struggled in the face of necessary change. It's about giving up the thing you cherish most--but getting yourself back in return.- Amazon Description

I do not remember exactly how I came across the title of this book, I do remember reading the look inside on Amazon. Instantly wanted to read the rest and immediately placed a hold. 

Enjoyed probably isn't the best word to describe reading Blackout, it was an interesting and brutally honest story about a girl and her love affair with drinking. I have known a few alcoholics and much of the story rang true to me. While there are tough bits to read, that I am sure were pure misery writing, there is a ton of humor and sarcasm that I did enjoy.

Go give the look inside on Amazon a read to see if you like the authors style.

This book is available for checkout through the Lake County Library System.