Alcohol Poisoning
Excessive drinking can be hazardous to everyone's health! It can be particularly stressful if you are the sober one taking care of your drunk roommate, who is vomiting while you are trying to study for an exam.

Some people laugh at the behavior of others who are drunk. Some think it's even funnier when they pass out. But there is nothing funny about the aspiration of vomit leading to asphyxiation or the poisoning of the respiratory center in the brain, both of which can result in death.

Do you know about the dangers of alcohol poisoning? When should you seek professional help for a friend? Sadly enough, too many college students say they wish they would have sought medical treatment for a friend. Many end up feeling responsible for alcohol-related tragedies that could have easily been prevented.

Common myths about sobering up include:

• Drinking black coffee
• Taking a cold bath or shower
• Sleeping it off
• Walking it off

But these are just myths, and they don't work. The only thing that reverses the effects of alcohol is time - something you may not have if you are suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Many different factors affect the level of intoxication of an individual, so it's difficult to gauge exactly how much is too much.

It takes about 3 hours to eliminate the alcohol content of two drinks, depending on your weight.

Women process alcohol differently. No matter how much he drinks, if you drink the same amount as your boyfriend, you will be more intoxicated and more impaired than he is.

If you have to drink increasingly larger amounts of alcohol to get a "buzz" or get "high," you are developing tolerance. Tolerance is actually a warning sigh that you are developing more serious problems with alcohol.

A 12 ounce bottle of beer has the same amount of alcohol as a standard shot of 80 proof liquor (either straight or in a mixed drink) or 5 ounces of wine.

One in three 18 to 24 year olds that are admitted to emergency rooms for serious injuries is intoxicated.

Alcohol is also associated with homicides, suicides, and drownings.

Source of information from http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/

What Happens to Your Body When You Get Alcohol Poisoning?
Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing and the gag reflex (which prevents choking). A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these functions.

It is common for someone who drank excessive alcohol to vomit since alcohol is an irritant to the stomach. There is then the danger of choking on vomit, which could cause death by asphyxiation in a person who is not conscious because of intoxication.

You should also know that a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can continue to rise even while he or she is passed out. Even after a person stops drinking, alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body. It is dangerous to assume the person will be fine by sleeping it off.

Critical Signs for Alcohol Poisoning

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, or person cannot be roused.
• Vomiting.
• Seizures.
• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute).
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths).
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness.

What Should I Do If I Suspect Someone Has Alcohol Poisoning?

• Know the danger signals.
• Do not wait for all symptoms to be present.
• Be aware that a person who has passed out may die.
• If there is any suspicion of an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help. Don't try to guess the level of drunkenness.

What Can Happen to Someone With Alcohol Poisoning That Goes Untreated?

• Victim chokes on his or her own vomit.
• Breathing slows, becomes irregular, or stops.
• Heart beats irregularly or stops.
• Hypothermia (low body temperature).
• Hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar) leads to seizures.
• Untreated severe dehydration from vomiting can cause seizures, permanent brain damage, or death.

Even if the victim lives, an alcohol overdose can lead to irreversible brain damage. Rapid binge drinking (which often happens on a bet or a dare) is especially dangerous because the victim can ingest a fatal dose before becoming unconscious.

Don't be afraid to seek medical help for a friend who has had too much to drink. Don't worry that your friend may become angry or embarrassed - remember, you cared enough to help. Always be safe, not sorry.

Source: http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov

I've lost count of the number of times I've been on the edge of alcohol poisoning since I was a teenager. I've been to the point of laying on my side on the floor of a luke-warm shower dry heaving until there was no warm water left and the shivering forced me to turn the water off and continue to lay there wrapped in a towel, in a strangers bathroom, a few times. The first time I was laying on my back vomiting on myself and letting the shower rinse it off.

I locked myself in a bar restroom once with my pants around my ankles sitting on the toilet and leaning over a waste basket vomiting after betting a bartender I could out-drink her on her day off. Probably the dumbest bet I've ever made.

On the bright side I can pretty much just look at someone early on and tell if they're going to need to be attended to now. I've developed a sense of empathy for being drunk over the years. I've only had one close call in the last few years as I've learned to limit myself.

The best advice I can give as far as drinking goes, is to get a glass of ice water between every drink. I've never once been sick when I get a glass of ice water with every drink and finish the water before I start on the drink.

Probably because the water dilutes the alcohol. Doesn't alcohol dehydrate the body, that's why the next day a person is soooooo thirsty?? Anyway, when the party really gets going, most drinkers will forget about the glass of water. But in any case, it would be great if people could stop drinking after they just start to feel the buzz effects.

You are definitely lucky to be alive.

I like to get on people about drinking water when I go out. A lot of people think they have super powers and don't need to drink any water or they get distracted on the way to get some water and forget. Most of the time it's just easier to hand them a cup/bottle of water and not say anything than it is to say something about it. People will usually drink it without thinking if you give it to them.

Some might say I'm a bit of a caretaker, but I like to think of it as preventative maintenance. Getting someone some water is 100 times easier than nursing them back to health later in the night when everyone's worn out.


Occasionally I stop and wonder whether I'm really still alive or if this is all just some ghostly dream.

If I were them, I would be glad you are there as the caretaker. Good job and that's a great idea just giving them the water to drink instead of leaving it up to them. Better to be a caretaker instead of a pallbearer!!