You might need to describe how much they drank or what they’ve been doing since you called. Don’t assume you can sleep it off or that you’ll be OK in the morning. If you can’t sit up, lie on your side to prevent choking on your what are moon rocks smoke vomit.
What causes an alcohol overdose?
Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person’s blood alcohol level is so high it becomes toxic. This typically occurs when people consume excessive amounts of alcohol in a short space of time. A person can consume a fatal dose of alcohol before passing out. Severe alcohol intoxication — or alcohol poisoning — is a dangerous condition that requires immediate medical attention. An alcohol overdose is typically treated in the emergency room. The emergency room physician will monitor your vital signs, including your heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature.
Teens and college-age adults are most likely drinking because of boredom to engage in binge drinking. Alcoholic drinks contain a form of alcohol known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol. This is also found in mouthwashes, some medicines, and household products. Poisoning happens when you drink too much ethyl alcohol in a short space of time. These symptoms often occur in stages, depending on how intoxicated a person is.
When somebody consumes an alcoholic drink, their liver has to filter out the alcohol, a toxin, from their blood. Take action to protect your loved ones from an alcohol overdose. Talk to your children about the dangers of alcohol and possible overdose. According to the Mayo Clinic, open communication has been shown to greatly reduce the incidence of teen drinking and subsequent alcohol poisoning.
- You should remain with the unconscious person until emergency medical help arrives.
- Know the danger signals, and if you suspect that someone has an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help immediately.
- A person can usually tell when they are intoxicated, but it may be challenging to spot the signs in others.
- If you drink more than this and your body isn’t able to break it down fast enough, it accumulates in your body.
- Alcohol poisoning also can occur when adults or children accidentally or intentionally drink household products that contain alcohol.
Diagnosis and Tests
Ethyl alcohol poisoning generally results from drinking too many alcoholic beverages in a short period of time. If you’re with someone who might have drunk too much, call 911 right away. If you or your friend are under the legal drinking age, you might be worried about the legal consequences.
Alcohol intoxication occurs from drinking too much alcohol in a short period of time. Any of these symptoms are signs that immediate medical attention is necessary. At this stage, a person’s BAC will range from 0.25 to 0.4 percent. If a person has generally consumed two to three drinks as a man or one to two drinks as a woman in an hour, they’ll enter the euphoric stage gallstones and alcohol of intoxication. Their blood alcohol content (BAC), which measures how much alcohol is in the bloodstream, will be very low at 0.01 to 0.05 percent.
As Blood Alcohol Concentration Increases—So Do the Risks
Prompt treatment of an alcohol overdose can prevent life-threatening health problems. However, severe alcohol overdose may cause seizures, resulting in brain damage if oxygen to the brain is cut off. If you experience an overdose, your doctor will ask you about your drinking habits and health history. Your doctor may also perform additional tests, such as blood tests (to determine your blood alcohol and glucose levels) and urine tests. Because an alcohol overdose can suppress a person’s gag reflex, they could choke and possibly die if they vomit while unconscious and lying on their back.
A mixed drink or cocktail could have more than one serving of alcohol in it. It can be hard to decide if you think someone is drunk enough to need medical help. But it’s best to take action right away rather than be sorry later. You may worry about what will happen to you or a friend or family member, especially if underage. But the results of not getting help in time can be far more serious.
What are the symptoms of alcohol intoxication?
If vomit is inhaled into the lungs, it can cause a person to stop breathing. Your doctor can diagnose alcohol poisoning based on your symptoms. They’ll also order blood and urine tests to check your alcohol levels. And middle-aged people are more likely than younger ones to take prescription drugs, which can increase the severity of alcohol poisoning. For a man, binge drinking is when you have five or more drinks in less than 2 hours. For a woman, it’s four or more drinks in the same time frame.