Alcohol Poisoning Treatment

_______________________________________________________________________________

image: woman in anguish over alcohol poisoning of her friendThe most difficult aspect of alcohol poisoning treatment is making the appropriate decision to get immediate medical help.  If an individual who has been drinking excessively continues to fall asleep, waken him or her. If the person does not respond right away to your efforts, call the police emergency number (911) and ask for immediate assistance.

Keep this in mind: the faster you respond to this crisis, the more likely the person with alcohol poisoning will receive successful treatment.

Making the Decision To Seek Immediate Medical Help

Ironically, the hardest part about saving an individual from alcohol poisoning does not occur in the hospital Emergency Room.  Neither does saving an individual from alcohol poisoning involve sophisticated medical treatment.

image: young male wondering about friend with alcohol poisoningThe most difficult part of dealing effectively with an alcohol overdose situation is making the decision to seek immediate medical assistance.

Possible legal repercussions (for instance, for underage drinkers), public humiliation, the fear of embarrassment, or a lack of accurate information about the symptoms and the severity of alcohol poisoning can result in indecisiveness, which can be fatal.

If a person who has been drinking heavily persists in falling asleep, waken him or her.

If the individual does not respond to your efforts, it is time to call the police emergency number (911) and ask for immediate help. Don't make the mistake of assuming that the individual will "sleep it off" or would rather not to be disturbed.

More than 67% of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Children who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than children who never drank.

Drinking Alcohol and The Influence of Other Drugs

Moreover, getting the individual home and in bed is not a viable solution and might actually place the person in danger since he or she is no longer being observed.

Make sure to tell the medical personnel or the ambulance driver if you know that the person ingested other drugs besides alcohol. This is mentioned because alcohol, when taken with other drugs, legal or illegal, accounts for roughly one-third of all drug overdose cases in the United States.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a group of symptoms manifested by individuals who stop drinking alcohol after a pattern of continuous and excessive consumption.  These symptoms can range from mild to moderate to severe and include both psychological and behavioral aspects.

Alcohol Poisoning Treatment at the Hospital

image: nurse checking on female detox patientAfter someone calls for medical assistance and emergency medical services arrives on the scene, the individual with alcohol poisoning will almost always be taken to a hospital.  At the hospital, alcohol poisoning is usually treated by pumping the person stomach.

Also known as or gastric irrigation or gastric lavage, pumping a person's stomach involves the passage of a tube via the person's mouth or nose down into the stomach, followed by the administration and removal of small amounts of saline.  This process is repeated until the returning fluid is clear (meaning that the stomach contains no further gastric contents).

In the fourth and final stage of alcoholism, the alcoholic manifests an utter disregard for everything, including shelter, family, food, and job.  These occasional flights into oblivion are best described, ironically, as drinking to get away from the problems caused by drinking.

Alcohol Poisoning Treatment:  Conclusion

The hardest part regarding alcohol poisoning and treatment is making the decision to seek immediate medical assistance.  For example, if a person who has been drinking heavily continues to fall asleep, waken him or her.  If the individual does not waken easily and continues to fall asleep, call the police emergency number (911) and ask for immediate help.

Please Add Our Website To Your Favorite Bookmarks!


Alcohol is typically found in the offender, victim or both in about half of all homicides and serious assaults, as well as in a high percentage of sex-related crimes, robberies, and incidents of domestic violence, and alcohol-related problems are disproportionately found among both juvenile and adult criminal offenders.

____________________________________________________