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Alcohol
Poisoning
| Alcohol
Poisoning: |
When you consume too much alcohol too fast, it acts as a poison. Sometimes
if you drink too much you vomit or pass out. This is your body's way
of protecting itself from absorbing any more alcohol. (If you've passed
out you can't drink anymore.)
When you drink a lot really fast, you may not pass out in time, and
instead alcohol in your stomach and intestines continue to enter your
bloodstream and the results could be fatal. An unconscious body will
still try to expel the poison by vomiting but you could choke on the
vomit and end up in a coma or dead. |
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What
exactly happens - 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.
Acute Alcohol Poisoning is tragically common on campuses and often
linked to drinking games and birthday celebrations where the birthday
person's friends buy them shooter after shooter. These friendly events
can and do kill people. Stop for a minute and imagine what it would
be like to know that the friend you encouraged to down all those shots
last night, didn't wake up this morning and won't wake up ever again.
This is a terrifying thought, but there are things you can learn and
do that will help prevent it from ever becoming a reality.
(First Aid)
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| Know
the Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning: |
•
Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin
• Slow breathing
(fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
• Irregular breathing
(10 seconds or more between breaths)
• Seizures
• Mental confusion, stupor or the unconsciousness or "sleeping"
person cannot be awakened
• Vomiting while "sleeping"
or passed out, and not waking up after
If you recognize any of these signs in someone who you know has been
drinking, you need to act immediately to save their lives - do not
wait for all symptoms to be present, do something now- get medical
help! There have been too many occasions when a caring friend has
helped a drunk to bed to "sleep it off", only to find them
dead in the morning.
It doesn't matter if the drinker is underage or not supposed to drink
for whatever reason. If you suspect that someone may be suffering
from acute alcohol poisoning, call 911. Don't ask 20 people for their
opinion before you do this - you could cost your friend their life.
Next, use the Bacchus Maneuver to roll
them into the recovery position so they won't choke if they vomit.
Start CPR if they stop breathing, or find someone with first aid training
to do it for you. And stay with the person until medical help arrives.
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What can Happen to Someone with Alcohol Poisoning
if Left Untreated |
•
Hypothermia (extreme low body temperatures)
• Breathing
slows, becomes irregular or stops
• Heat beats irregularly
or stops
• Hypoglycemia (too little blood sugars) leads
to seizures
• Untreated severe dehydration from vomiting.
Even if the person lives, an alcohol overdose can lead to irreversible
brain damage. |
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