Treatment for Alcohol Poisoning

When consuming alcohol, it is no joke that you should drink responsibly. Irresponsible behaviors risk your life and the lives of others. If you or someone you know has problems drinking responsibly, you should seek help at an alcohol addiction center.

Responsible drinking means:

• Know your limit! Though the amount of alcohol that is safe to consume can be based on body mass, generally people should drink no more than one drink per hour. (A drink can be a 12 oz. beer, a 4 oz. glass of wine, a 10 ounce wine cooler, or a 1.5 oz. glass of hard alcohol.) Some people have a limit less than this amount, and you should know your own limits of alcohol consumption rather than what somebody else tells you.
• Know how much you are drinking! Mixed drinks often include more than one serving of alcohol. This could put you over your limit, so you should always know how much alcohol is in a drink before consuming it.
• Never leave a drink unattended! You never know who could be watching your drink when you aren’t.
• Never, ever, ever drive (or let a friend drive) while intoxicated! This can never be stressed enough! It is almost common sense not to operate something as dangerous as a vehicle if your motor skills have been impaired, yet it still happens. You don’t have to be falling on your face drunk to be an unsafe driver. Avoid driving at all if you have been or plan on drinking.

Another responsible drinking behavior would be educating your self on the risks of drinking too much. It is never safe to have one intoxicated person taking care of another intoxicated person. Somebody should be designated to be sober enough to provide the clear head if an emergency arises.

You should know what to do and what not to do if somebody is intoxicated. Many people believe that drinking coffee or eating food can help ‘sober somebody up’ when they have had too much to drink.

In fact, you should never give food, liquid, drugs or medication to somebody who is intoxicated. The only thing that can sober a person up is time.

One of the worst things you can do to an intoxicated person is to give them a cold shower. While there seems to be a popular belief that a cold shower will help sober somebody, the truth is that a cold shower is dangerous for an intoxicated person because it can cause a loss of consciousness.

If somebody has had too much to drink, you should know what to look for in case of alcohol poisoning. If any of the following occur to somebody who has had more than their limit of alcohol consumption, contact 9-1-1 immediately!

• Drastic change in breathing patterns (breathing less than 13 times within a minute, or stops breathing for 8 seconds or more.)
• Person is asleep or unconscious and you are unable to awake them
• Repeated, uncontrolled vomiting (continuous vomiting)
• Cold, clammy, and/or bluish skin

Alcohol poisoning is one of the many risks of irresponsible drinking, and can be very fatal. If you are faced with somebody who may be suffering alcohol poisoning, you should contact 9-1-1 immediately.

Nobody should be left alone while vomiting. Never abandon anybody who may have had too much to drink. If somebody decides to ‘sleep it off’, prop them up with a pillow to prevent choking if the person vomits. Stay near them at all times, and wake them up frequently. Even though they are sleeping, the alcohol levels in their blood may continue to rise.

The best thing you can do for somebody who might have alcohol poisoning is to admit them into alcohol poisoning treatment. Don’t wait until it’s too late!