A merry night-out with friends can turn into a disastrous affair when alcohol consumption goes out of hand. Binge drinking or irresponsible drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning.
Alcohol poisoning cannot be quickly noticed as the symptoms start appearing gradually. Our body is capable of digesting a specific amount of alcohol in an hour. Beyond that, the alcohol disseminating into the blood at a very fast rate and begins to affect the body and senses in a severe manner. It begins to:
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Make you lose your balance
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Make you nauseated and, in some cases, vomit
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Make you breathe erratically
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Cause dehydration
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Lower body temperature and sugar levels
Understanding whether a person is just drunk or whether that person is suffering from alcohol poisoning is a borderline judgement. However, certain actions are a giveaway sign that the person is tending towards it. These are:
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Confusion and un-coordination
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Vomiting
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Slow breathing
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Pale skin, low body temperature
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Conscious but unresponsive
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Unconscious
In case your friend is a victim of alcohol poisoning, here are a few DOs and DONTs to help you bringing your friend back to normalcy.
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Do keep the person awake and make them sit up straight
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Don't give them coffee to wake them up since coffee dehydrates the body further
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Do give them water
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Don't ask them to walk around or make them vomit
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Do make them lie on one side if they’ve passed out and keep them warm
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Don't give them any other form of alcohol in an effort to break the stupor
Generally, one should keep their drinking under control by eating up before or during drinks and by spacing out drinks over time by sipping water or other beverages.
Alcohol poisoning can always be avoided by drinking responsibly.