Patient education: Alcohol poisoning (The Basics)

What is alcohol poisoning? — 

This is what happens if someone drinks far too much alcohol. This is different from being drunk or having a little too much to drink.

Rarely, alcohol poisoning can be life-threatening. A person with alcohol poisoning could stop breathing or choke on their own vomit.

What are the symptoms of alcohol poisoning? — 

Some of the symptoms are the same as those for a person who is "just drunk." For instance, people who have alcohol poisoning can seem confused or have trouble standing up. But some of the other symptoms are more serious. Alcohol poisoning can slow or stop a person's breathing, make it hard to clear their mouth or airway, or make their blood pressure dangerously low.

Alcohol poisoning is an emergency. Call for an ambulance (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1) if someone:

●Stops breathing or is breathing very slowly (fewer than 8 breaths in 1 minute)

●Turns blue or very pale

●Has cold skin

●Has a seizure

●Is passed out and cannot be woken up, or makes gurgling sounds when they breathe

●Cannot stop vomiting

●Looks very sick

What will the doctors at the hospital do? — 

In the emergency department, doctors and nurses can:

●Monitor the person's breathing – If they stop breathing, the doctors can put them on a breathing machine.

●Give the person fluids through an IV – An IV is a thin tube that goes into a vein. This can be important if the person has been vomiting a lot or has very low blood pressure.

●Check for any other medical problems – People who have been drinking sometimes have other problems that are hard to notice, because they cannot tell you what they are feeling. For instance, people who have been drinking often fall down or otherwise hurt themselves. Doctors can use X-rays and other tools to check for possible injuries or other health problems.

●Check to make sure that their blood sugar is not dangerously low

Can doctors get the alcohol out of someone's system? — 

No. Alcohol is absorbed into the body very quickly. It does no good to empty or "pump" the stomach. There is nothing that can soak up the alcohol or cancel out its effects. In general, the only thing that gets rid of alcohol in the body is time.

What can I do at home to help keep someone safe? — 

For people who have been drinking but do not seem to need emergency care, you can:

●Keep checking their breathing. Call for an ambulance (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1) if their breathing slows too much or stops.

●Wake them up every few hours to make sure that they respond.

●Lay them on their side, so they do not choke on their own vomit if they throw up.

●Check them for bumps, bruises, bleeding, or any sign of injury.

●Use blankets to keep them warm.

If someone you know drinks so much that you are afraid for their safety, this is a sign of alcohol use disorder. When the person recovers, it might be good to sit down and talk about what happened. Suggest speaking to a doctor, nurse, or mental health expert. There are treatments that can help someone with an alcohol use disorder.

More on this topic

Patient education: Alcohol use – When is drinking a problem? (The Basics)
Patient education: Alcohol and your health (The Basics)
Patient education: Substance use disorder (The Basics)
Patient education: Cirrhosis (The Basics)
Patient education: Blood ethanol concentration (The Basics)

Patient education: Alcohol use — when is drinking a problem? (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Risks and benefits of alcohol (Beyond the Basics)