What Is Alcohol Poisoning? Risks, Symptoms, and Treatments

Alcohol use and taking opioids or sedative-hypnotics, such as sleep and anti-anxiety medications, can increase your risk of an overdose. Examples of these medications include sleep aids such as zolpidem and eszopiclone, and benzodiazepines such as diazepam and alprazolam. Even drinking alcohol while taking over-the-counter antihistamines can be dangerous. Using alcohol with opioid pain relievers such as oxycodone and morphine or illicit opioids such as heroin is also a very dangerous combination.

Research shows that teens and college-age young adults often engage in binge drinking and high-intensity drinking. Drinking such large quantities of alcohol can overwhelm the body’s ability to break down and clear alcohol from the bloodstream. This leads to rapid increases in BAC and significantly impairs brain and other bodily functions. A person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can continue to rise even while passed out as alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream. The alcohol has already passed into their small intestine and they cannot vomit those contents.

Critical Signs and Symptoms of an Alcohol Overdose

But consuming large amounts of alcohol, even one time, can lead to serious health complications. But alcohol poisoning is dangerous and can be life-threatening. It happens when a person drinks a large quantity of alcohol in a short time. Know the danger signals and, if you suspect that someone has an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help immediately.

When excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed, the brain is deprived of oxygen. The struggle to deal with an overdose of alcohol and lack of oxygen will eventually cause the brain to shut down the voluntary functions that regulate breathing and heart rate. Those who also take opioids or sedative-hypnotics, such as sleep and anti-anxiety medications. As the blood alcohol content rises, so do the effects of alcohol. Even smaller increases in BAC can impair coordination, cause vomiting, and cloud judgment. This can lead to injuries, car crashes, and leave a person vulnerable to sexual assault and violence.

Learn more about alcohol withdrawal syndrome at Highland Ridge Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah

Submit your number and receive a free call today from a treatment provider. It is important to know that a person’s BAC can continue to rise even when they are unconscious, so thinking the person will just “sleep it off” can be dangerous. At first, this may not seem like a major issue, but part of the reason that many people who overdrink vomit is that alcohol irritates the stomach.

Call 911 if someone you know is experiencing an alcohol overdose. Alcohol intoxication is described as a mental and behavioural disorder by the International Classification of Diseases. (ICD-10).[38] Definitive diagnosis relies on a blood test for alcohol, usually performed as part of a toxicology screen. Because these may have varying reliability and may produce different results than the tests used for law-enforcement purposes, the results from such devices should be conservatively interpreted.

How is an alcohol overdose treated?

Reach out to a treatment provider for free today for immediate assistance. When too much alcohol is consumed and the body cannot process the amount, there can be very serious consequences. As advocates of mental health and wellness, we take great https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcohol-overdose-symptoms-and-antidote/ pride in educating our readers on the various online therapy providers available. MentalHelp has partnered with several thought leaders in the mental health and wellness space, so we can help you make informed decisions on your wellness journey.

• Because alcohol is a drug in the depressant category, an alcohol overdose can look very similar to an opioid overdose.
• This means you should be carefully monitored in a healthcare facility where medical professionals can administer therapies you will need, such as oxygen therapy.
• Even when the person is unconscious or stops drinking, the stomach and intestines continue to release alcohol into the bloodstream, and the level of alcohol in the body continues to rise.

Even when someone stops drinking, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can continue to rise for minutes, resulting in worsening symptoms. Prompt treatment of an alcohol overdose can prevent life-threatening health problems. However, severe alcohol overdose may cause seizures, resulting in brain damage if oxygen to the brain is cut off. An alcohol overdose is typically treated in the emergency room. The emergency room physician will monitor your vital signs, including your heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature. An alcohol overdose can damage your pancreas, which digests food and monitors the levels of glucose in your blood.

Substance Abuse and Addiction Home

There are a number of factors that play a role in a person’s alcohol consumption limit such as gender, weight and tolerance level. Since every person is different, there is no way to determine how much a person can drink before they’re at risk of alcohol poisoning. One of the most common causes of alcohol poisoning is binge drinking. Consuming an excessive amount of alcohol in such a short timeframe significantly increases your chances of harmful consequences, like alcohol poisoning.

Because the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can present suddenly or unexpectedly get worse, being under close medical supervision during this time is highly recommended and greatly improves your safety. Per Cleveland Clinic, healthcare providers can pump the stomach of a patient who has overdosed on alcohol. This process helps clear the stomach of toxins from the substance. If a patient’s kidneys are working properly, healthcare providers can start dialysis to filter out alcohol from the blood, Cleveland Clinic advises. Some alcohol overdose symptoms can be surprisingly subtle and difficult to differentiate from intoxication. The more noticeable symptoms of alcohol overdose are much more likely to be deadly and a sign that the overdose has gone unchecked for a dangerously long amount of time.

GABAA receptors

Unlike food, which can take hours to digest, the body absorbs alcohol quickly — long before most other nutrients. And it takes a lot more time for the body to get rid of alcohol. If you notice any of these signs, intervene BEFORE the situation becomes life-threatening. Have sober friends stay with the person, and try to keep them from consuming more alcohol or other substances. Don’t be afraid to seek medical help for someone who has had too much to drink.