Alcohol Poisoning Symptoms

Many people mistake alcohol poisoning symptoms as typically drunk behavior such as passing out or vomiting uncontrollably. The consequences of this mistake can cost you the life of a friend, family member or even yourself. Before you head out to the bars or to your next party, keep these symptoms in the back of your mind so you can help someone that may be in danger.

Save someone from alcohol poisoning!

Alcohol is a depressant. When you drink large quantities of liquor, beer or other alcoholic beverages, your liver is unable to process the alcohol fast enough to keep your blood from becoming toxic. Your liver can usually rid your body of alcohol at a rate of one drink an hour. Many binge drinkers may consume 3 or 4 alcoholic drinks an hour.

If your blood alcohol level becomes toxic, your body reacts by slowing down organ functions or vomiting. Many people die because they choke on their own vomit or their brain's respiratory center stops working and they cease breathing.

The likelihood of someone surviving greatly depends on how well someone nearby can identify alcohol poisoning symptoms. Many people believe that if someone hasn't had a huge amount to drink there is no way he or she could be experiencing alcohol poisoning. However, everyone's body reacts differently to alcohol. If someone has been drinking regularly for awhile, his or her tolerance may be much higher than someone that just occasionally binge drinks. How your body processes alcoholic drinks also depends on body type and how much food you ate that day.

To know whether someone may be in danger, keep these signs in mind when you are around an intoxicated person.

• Hypothermia: Touch the person's skin to see if it is cold or clammy. Look over the person's body to see if it has a bluish appearance.
• Unresponsive: Many people think passing out after a long night of drinking is okay. The problem with this is that the person could go into a coma, and this means he or she could die due to asphyxiation (choking on vomit). To tell if someone is either sleeping or in a coma, pinch the person's skin or do something else to try to rouse that person.
• Slow Breathing: Check the person's breathing and make sure he or she is breathing at least eight breaths a minute. Each breath should come within ten seconds of each other.
• Mental instability: Confusion or stupor is another warning sign.
• Seizure: If the person is shaking uncontrollably, make sure he or she is in a safe place, and then call for help.

If you ever suspect that someone is suffering from alcohol poisoning, you need to take action right away. Waiting to see if the person will snap out of it will increase the chances of that person dying. Call 9-1-1 immediately, stay on the phone with the dispatcher and follow any instructions he or she has for you until the paramedics arrive at your location. Many people do not call 9-1-1 because they fear they are wrong and the person has just passed out from drinking too much. They don't want to feel embarrassed and lose their friend because of it. What you need to remember is that you could lose your friend to something much worse than calling for help. If your friend gets mad at you for it, at least you know you may have just saved someone's life.

The University of Oklahoma Police Notebook website has a Blood Alcohol Calculator (BAC) so you can figure out what is a safe amount for you to drink. Before you have another drink, and especially if you plan to drive, fill out this easy form so it can give you an idea of how much you can drink without becoming impaired.

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