Alcohol Poisoning

• Generally, you can't.
• Alcohol impairs judgment, making your ability to reason difficult, especially at high doses.
• Depending on how much you drink, how quickly you drink, and what else is in your stomach, it make take 30 - 90 minutes after you stop drinking before reaching the highest level of intoxication.

• How fast you drink . If you have less than one ounce per hour (one 12 oz. beer, 5 oz. glass of wine, or a measured drink with one shot of alcohol) is better than drinking quickly. Slow down and drink non-alcoholic drinks between alcoholic beverages.

• What type of beverage you drink. Diluting alcoholic drinks with water or juice slows down absorption. Mixing drinks with carbonated beverages speeds up absorption.

• Your weight and percentage of body fat. Smaller people are usually affected more quickly than larger people. Alcohol is more concentrated in a 120 lb. person than in a 180 lb. person.

• Whether or not you have eaten. Your stomach lining absorbs alcohol directly into the blood stream, and food blocks that absorption. Make sure to eat before and during a party if you choose to drink.

• Your mood and attitude. How you are feeling emotionally can affect the way you respond to drinking. If you are depressed, angry or upset, then drinking can enhance those emotions.

• Level of experience. If you hardly ever drink, you will be less able to compensate for the intoxicating effects of alcohol. The ability to compensate for the effects of alcohol is called tolerance. A high tolerance level is often an early sign of a drinking problem.

• Gender. Women have less body fluids and more body fat than men, and have less of the enzymes that process alcohol. Therefore, alcohol almost always affects women more quickly, even if they weigh the same and drink similar amounts.

• Presence of other drugs. Alcohol and other drugs, whether they be over-the counter, prescription, or illicit, can combine for dangerous effects.

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma or cannot be roused
• No response to pinching of the skin
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Slow breathing fewer than 8 breaths per minute
• Irregular breathing 10 seconds or more between breaths
• Low body temperature which is exhibited in bluish/pale skin, or cold clammy skin or lips

• Try to wake the person. Call their name and/or pinch their skin there should be some reaction.
• Turn them on their side, and don't leave them alone. Turning them on their side minimizes the chances of choking on their vomit.
• Check skin color and temperature. If their skin is pale or bluish, or cold and clammy, seek medical help.
• Check breathing. It is a medical emergency if breaths are slower than 8 per minute, or there is 10 seconds or more between breaths.
• Remember: there are no absolutes. Everyone is different. A person may exhibit some of the symptoms or none at all. There is no guarantee that if they have 9 breaths a minute they will live, or are breathing 7 times a minute will die.
• Don't be afraid to seek medical help if someone has had too much to drink. The drinker risks spending some money, perhaps facing a policy sanction, and maybe some embarrassment. All of this will pass. None of the consequences compare to losing a life.