What Is Alcohol Poisoning?
Alcohol poisoning is when there's too much alcohol in your blood, and it causes parts of your brain to shut down. It's also called alcohol overdose.
Alcohol is a depressant. That means it can affect your brain and nervous system, slowing your breathing, your heart rate, and other essential tasks that your body does.
Your liver usually does an excellent job keeping alcohol toxins from entering your bloodstream. But if you drink a lot, quickly, your liver may be unable to keep up.
Alcohol poisoning can lead to brain damage or death. If you're with someone who might have drunk too much, call 911 right away. Learn how to tell if someone has alcohol poisoning.
Alcohol Poisoning Signs and Symptoms
Some symptoms start mild and grow worse. Signs of alcohol poisoning include:
Smelling like alcohol
Confusion or slurred speech
Poor coordination or stumbling
Damp or clammy skin
Some symptoms of alcohol poisoning are more serious. These include:
Severe confusion
Trouble staying awake
Throwing up
Seizures
Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute)
Long pauses between breaths (10 seconds or more)
Very slow heartbeat
Low body temperature
Bluish or pale skin
Slow responses (such as gag reflex)
Alcohol Poisoning Complications
In severe cases, alcohol poisoning can cause problems like:
Choking on your vomit
Trouble breathing because of vomit in your lungs
Severe dehydration
Hypothermia
Brain damage
Seizures
Coma
Heart attack
Death
Alcohol Poisoning Causes
Alcoholic drinks contain alcohol known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol, which causes alcohol poisoning. Other kinds you might have around the house, like isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and methanol (wood alcohol), are toxic differently.
Binge drinking is a major cause of alcohol poisoning. For a man, binge drinking is when you have five or more drinks in less than 2 hours; for a woman, it's four drinks in the same amount of time. "Extreme" binge drinking is double those amounts.
One drink is:
12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol)
5 ounces of wine (12% alcohol)
1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor
Alcohol Poisoning Risk Factors
Men and middle-aged adults have the highest odds of getting alcohol poisoning, and men tend to drink more than women. And middle-age people are more likely than younger ones to take prescription drugs, which can increase the severity of alcohol poisoning.
Alcohol poisoning can also depend on things like:
Your size or weight
Your overall health
Your alcohol tolerance
How recently you ate food
Whether you're taking drugs
How much and how fast you drink
How much alcohol is in your drink
Emergency Action for Alcohol Poisoning
If you think someone you're with has alcohol poisoning, take these steps:
Call 911 right away.
Don't leave the person alone.
Try to keep them awake and sitting upright.
Have them sip water if they're awake.
Cover them with a warm blanket.
If they're passed out, get them onto their side to keep them from choking on vomit.
Tell the paramedics about their symptoms and how much they drank.
Don't do these things. They may do more harm than good:
Giving the person a cold shower, which can lower their body temperature
Giving them food, which can cause vomiting or choking
Trying to have them "walk it off" could lead to a fall
Trying to make them throw up, as this can cause choking
Alcohol Poisoning Diagnosis
Your doctor can diagnose alcohol poisoning based on your symptoms, and they'll also order blood and urine tests to check your alcohol levels.
Alcohol Poisoning Treatment
If you've drunk dangerous amounts of alcohol, doctors may "pump" your stomach, preventing any leftover alcohol from getting into your bloodstream.
At the hospital, they may also:
Give you fluids through an IV
Give you the extra oxygen to help you breathe
Flush your stomach of toxins
Remove toxins from your blood
Alcohol Poisoning Prevention
If you're going to drink alcohol, keep these tips in mind to avoid alcohol poisoning:
Drink in moderation. It's best for men to have no more than two drinks daily and for women to have only one.
Alternate alcoholic drinks with nonalcoholic ones, ideally water.
Don't drink on an empty stomach.
Don't drink while you're taking prescription medications or other drugs.
Don't play drinking games or use funnels or beer bongs.
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Information Courtesy of Markham Heid
Medically Reviewed by Jennifer Casarella, MD. on March 17, 2022
Jennifer Casarella, MD, graduated from Duke University in 1991 with a BA in psychology. She attended Emory Medical School. She completed a psychiatry residency at Emory and an addiction psychiatry fellowship.
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