Treatment for Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol consumption is safe when used within recommended limits, yet it can lead to alcohol poisoning when abused and taken in large quantities. Treatment for alcohol poisoning can be a stark punishment for those who choose to ignore advice on the safe enjoyment of alcohol.

Intoxicated

For those who enjoy the consumption of alcohol, sticking to the rules of recommended intake is the best way to ensure that the experience remains a pleasurable one. Current recommendations state that:

• Women should drink no more than two drinks per day or 14 in a week.
• Men should drink no more than three drinks per day or 21 in a week.

When you break it down, this is most certainly a reasonable volume at which alcohol can be enjoyed, yet not to the extent where the experience becomes an unpleasant and potentially dangerous one.

True alcohol poisoning is a serious medical condition that, if left untreated, can be potentially life-threatening. It is important to understand the difference being simply "drunk" and suffering the actual effects of the toxic alcohol poisoning. Being drunk results in mood lifts (or in some cases dips) and behavior becomes altered due to an alcohol induced lack of inhibitions.

Few people truly understand the serious dangers that excess alcohol intake can pose. Incidents of "binge drinking" showing up in hospital emergency rooms is most certainly on the rise. During binge drinking, the body becomes intoxicated very quickly and effectively becomes poisoned by the alcohol that enters the blood stream in a fast and full-on way. In contrast, the individual who sticks to the recommended drinking limits over the course of a week will experience a controlled intake of alcohol. This allows the body sufficient time to expel the alcohol content in the blood so a toxic build-up doesn't occur.

Signs of alcohol poisoning include:

• Reduced consciousness
• Confusion and non-compliance
• Vomiting, including gagging and possible choking
• Hypothermia
• Shallow breathing
• Pale or possibly blue-tinged skin
• Lowered blood glucose level

Any one of these symptoms can be dangerous and requires immediate medical care. When a person presents with alcohol poisoning, an initial assessment will be crucial to follow-up care.

Treatment for true alcohol poisoning requires medical intervention to ensure that the body’s vital systems, such as respiratory and cardiac functions, do not become dangerously impaired. Let's take a look at the way medical professionals address various alcohol poisoning-related conditions.

When a person is intoxicated, the most immediate hazard is a risk of choking on vomit. Therefore, turning the person to lay on the side is the safest position to ensure the airways don't become clogged. Death can easily occur when an intoxicated person is left unattended while vomiting.

Alcohol constricts the blood vessels in the body and automatically lowers the body temperature. In a case of alcohol poisoning, this can induce hypothermia due to the excessive alcohol level in the blood. Hypothermia is common when drunk individuals are found outside lying in wet clothes due to vomiting and possible incontinence. Warming such a person up should be performed under medical supervision because someone suffering from severe hypothermia can die when being warmed too quickly. The application of warmed blankets and warmed intravenous fluids is standard treatment for this problem.

Giving intravenous fluids will also assist potential dehydration caused by excessive vomiting and loss of other bodily fluids. Glucose is often given as a fluid of choice since this not only warms and re-hydrates the body, but it also brings blood glucose levels up to acceptable and safe levels.

Confusion and reduced consciousness are mainly due to the alcohol content in the blood. However, lower than normal oxygen levels can also be responsible. In such cases, oxygen is administered to ensure levels are maximized. "Hypoxia", as it is also known, can present with bizarre behavior in some people, particularly if alcohol is also present.

Airway management is also essential, particularly when there is a reduced level of consciousness. Treatment for alcohol poisoning not only requires medical intervention but close visual observation over a period of hours as symptoms and risks can worsen before they begin to improve.

For people who have suffered true alcohol poisoning, the experience not only makes them feel physically sick, their dignity and integrity can also be affected. When intoxicated at such high levels, individuals often do not realize their behavior until they are fully recovered. For many, this can be a harsh lesson learned. The act of consuming alcohol should always remain an enjoyable one. Excessive drinking that requires hospitalization is truly a situation that should never be repeated.

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