Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget

by Sarah Hepola

Behold the risk factors for blacking out: a genetic predisposition to holding your liquor, drinking fast, and skipping meals. Oh, and one more: being female.

“When men are in a blackout, they do things to the world. When women are in a blackout, things are done to them.”

My fever grew stronger, and I began to itch for the drama of drinking. You know what I miss? A hangover. You know what I want? A night I regret. My shins covered in eggplant bruises, some unshaven backpacker at the book depot, his hands all over me.