Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol Overdose National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

Alcohol poisoning happens when there’s too much alcohol in your blood, and parts of your brain shut down. It’s caused usually by binge drinking and can lead to death or brain damage. If you see signs of alcohol poisoning, such as throwing up, seizures, slow breathing, or severe confusion, don’t hesitate to call 911.

Entender los riesgos de sobredosis de alcohol

Alcohol in the form of ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, is in alcoholic beverages. It’s also in mouthwash, some cooking extracts, some medicines and certain household products. Ethyl alcohol poisoning generally results from drinking too many alcoholic beverages in a short period of time. In general, a BAC of .30 to .40 indicates alcohol poisoning; higher levels are likely to lead to fatal outcomes. It is dangerous to assume that an unconscious person will be fine by sleeping it off.

What Is Alcohol Poisoning?

Note that a BAC of 0.08 percent is the legal limit of intoxication in the United States. A person can be arrested for driving with a BAC above this limit. The stages of intoxication differ from person to person because they’re based on age, sex, weight, and other factors. We absorb alcohol much more quickly than food – alcohol gets to our bloodstream much faster.

Several well-known criteria can be used to establish a probable diagnosis. Consuming alcoholic beverages leads to increases in your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). As your BAC increases, so does your risk for alcohol poisoning. Binge drinking behavior is especially prevalent among adolescents and young adults, though these groups are at reduced risk of death from alcohol poisoning. Affected companion animals should receive appropriate veterinary treatment without delay. Certain wild animals, particularly birds and some insects, can also experience alcohol poisoning, most notably following the consumption of rotting fermented fruit.

1. Many household chemicals are poisonous, even if you are using them as directed.
2. Like alcohol, these drugs suppress areas in the brain that control vital functions such as breathing.
3. And acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may cause serious liver damage if taken with too much alcohol.
4. Alcohol poisoning happens when you drink too much alcohol too fast.

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Other long-term complications of heavy alcohol use include addiction, cancer, cirrhosis, liver disease, vitamin deficiencies, and mental health problems. It also increases the risk of unintentional injuries due to falls, alcohol and violence statistics drowning, assault, and car accidents. Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person’s blood alcohol level is so high it becomes toxic.

Although young people are most likely to engage in binge drinking, deaths from alcohol poisoning usually involve men between the ages of 35 and 64, according to the CDC. And middle-aged people are more likely than younger ones to take prescription drugs, which can increase the severity of alcohol poisoning. This is when a male rapidly consumes five or more alcoholic drinks within two hours or a female consumes at least four drinks within two hours.

This stage can be very dangerous and even fatal if a person chokes on their vomit or becomes critically injured. For example, mixing bleach and ammonia produces chloramine gas, which can irritate the nose, throat, and lungs. In large concentrations, inhaling chloramine can lead to death. If you survive an overdose without these complications, your long-term outlook will be very good. The person can become extremely confused, unresponsive, disoriented, have shallow breathing, and can even pass out or go into a coma. Don’t assume you can sleep it off or that you’ll be OK in the morning.

The person will be hospitalized until their vital signs return to normal. Any of these symptoms are signs that immediate medical attention is necessary. At this stage, a person’s BAC will range from 0.25 to 0.4 percent. Their blood alcohol content (BAC), which measures how much alcohol is in the bloodstream, will be very low at 0.01 to 0.05 percent.