According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 2,200 alcohol poisoning deaths in the United States each year. This staggering number highlights the need to spread more awareness of the dangers of alcohol overdose and potential poisoning if not treated right away.
So, for this post, we’ll discuss the symptoms of alcohol poisoning and overdose and how they differ from each other. Keep reading to learn how you can help yourself or someone you know before they succumb to this medical emergency.
What is alcohol overdose?
Alcohol poisoning defined is the state when someone consumes copious and toxic amounts of alcohol within a short period. When this happens, there will be too much blood alcohol concentration (BAC) than what your body can flush out.
At this point, the body will start to experience a slew of severe symptoms, like vomiting, seizures, and fainting, among others.
But what is alcohol poisoning? Overdose and alcohol poisoning are basically the same and is considered a medical emergency. Without immediate medical intervention, alcohol intoxication symptoms can take a life-threatening turn.
Understanding BAC: How do you get alcohol poisoning?
To further understand the alcohol poisoning definition, let’s discuss BAC further.
BAC, or Blood Alcohol Concentration, measures the percentage of alcohol in your bloodstream. The higher the BAC value, the more you’re going to experience alcohol poisoning symptoms.
Here’s a quick glance at BAC and its physical and mental effects:
- .01 to .03 – This is considered a legal range, and you won’t feel any effects of alcohol.
- .04 to .06 – At this point, you’re starting to feel relaxed and warm, which can be accompanied by minor memory impairment.
- .07 to .09 – This is where you’ll start having balance, speech, and vision control issues. At .08, you’ll be legally impaired to drive or ride a bike if you’re over 21.
- .10 to .12 – Here, you’ll experience a significant loss of judgment and impairment of your physical coordination. You’ll also have slurred speech.
- .13 to .15 – You’re now entering a much higher BAC range where you’ll have a severe lack of physical control, and you’ll have blurred vision, as well as a major loss of balance. You’ll also begin to become restless or anxious.
- .16 to .20 – This is where you’ll become ‘sloppy drunk’ as you begin to become nauseous while the other physical symptoms worsen.
- .25 to .30 – With this BAC, you’ll now start having alcohol poisoning signs, and you’re considered severely intoxicated. Vomiting, mental confusion, and lack of balance persist, which is now considered a medical emergency.
- .34 to .40 and up – At this point, you’ll pass out and are already at risk of coma and brain damage. Alcohol OD will set in, and you can die of alcohol poisoning if you don’t receive immediate medical attention.
Signs and symptoms of alcohol overdose
Can you overdose on alcohol? You or someone you know can, and you might already be on the brink of one if you’re experiencing the following after drinking too much alcohol:
- Vomiting
- Severe confusion
- Slow and irregular breathing
- Slow heart rate
- Bluish, grayish, or pale skin
- Seizures
- Low body temperature (hypothermia)
- Fading in and out of consciousness
- No gag reflex and slow responses
Important: If someone is showing signs of alcohol poisoning or overdose, you should seek medical help immediately.
What to do when someone has alcohol poisoning or overdose?
Take note that alcohol or ETOH poisoning is considered a medical emergency. If you think someone has overdosed on alcohol, here are the dos and don’ts you should keep in mind:
DON’T let the person lay on his back.
The number one rule when someone is suspected of alcohol overdose is that you never let them sleep on their back or chest.
Make sure you keep them on their side or prop them in a sitting position. This is to prevent choking in case the person vomits – remember, a person with an alcohol overdose has an impaired gag reflex.
DO call 911 right away.
Next, you should call 911 right away to seek medical help. Take note that you should never delay asking for help as every minute that pass by is crucial for the person’s survival.
While waiting, you can also ask other people around to help you watch for the intoxicated individual. It’s advisable to stay with a trusted group who can assist you in case the situation changes before paramedics arrive.
DON’T leave the person alone.
Never trust a drunk person to know how to treat alcohol poisoning at home or to help themselves, especially if the person is unconscious. Instead, keep them company until they are able to receive alcohol poisoning treatment.
While waiting for help, you should keep a close eye on the person to make sure they won’t choke on their own vomit.
DO monitor the person’s vital signs.
You should also check the person’s breathing, heart rate, and responsiveness. This will be valuable information for the first responders later on as they try to provide emergency care to the person.
If possible, try to know how much alcoholic beverage the person drank. This will also give medical professionals an idea about how severe the situation is firsthand.
DON’T try to make the person vomit.
Some have the wrong notion that if they can make a person vomit, they can get rid of alcohol and prevent poisoning. This is simply not the case, and inducing vomiting without instructions from medical experts will only do more harm than help.
To be specific, the person may choke on their own vomit due to impaired gag reflex, which only increases their risk of dying from alcohol poisoning. Another possible scenario is that the person may suffer from aspiration pneumonia if their vomit gets into their lungs.
DO remove tight clothing from the person.
Since a person who overdosed on alcohol will have slowed breathing, it will help a lot of loosen up tight belts and collars. Your goal is to make it easier for the person to breathe while waiting for help to arrive.
While this will not slow down alcohol poisoning effects, it will still give the person a stronger chance of surviving.
DON’T give any food or drinks.
We’ve seen some cases where a person with alcohol poisoning was forced to drink or eat with the belief that it would help them sober up. In fact, this is completely untrue and extremely dangerous.
This will only lead to choking and breathing obstruction, which will increase the risk of death by alcohol poisoning.
DON’T assume the person will ‘sleep it off’.
Many people think that a drunk person can ‘sleep off’ intoxication, so they drag them to a bedroom and leave them overnight. While others are lucky to wake up with just a nasty hangover, some may not be able to see the light of day.
Again, we can’t emphasize this enough: alcohol overdose or poisoning is a medical emergency. If a heavily intoxicated person passes out, it’s best to seek medical help right away. As they say, better safe than sorry.
DO encourage the person to seek professional help.
Once the person overcome his bout with alcohol poisoning, encourage them to seek help for their heavy drinking. This way, they can prevent another deadly encounter that may not turn out as well as it did before.
If someone you know is looking for a place to start, LA Wellness Home is here to help. Our inpatient rehab in Los Angeles is a safe and nurturing space to start a sober life.
Get professional alcohol use treatment at LA Wellness Home
Alcohol poisoning takes thousands of lives each year, but you don’t have to be part of that number. At our inpatient rehab center, you can take control of your life away from the grips of alcohol use disorder. With us, you’ll have a professional team of medical doctors, registered nurses, RADTs, therapists, counselors, and more who will help you achieve sobriety.
If you want to know more about our alcohol rehab, feel free to call our 24/7 hotline. We also provide free insurance verification so that you can plan the financial aspect of your treatment much more easily.
