Drinking too much and too quickly can lead to significant impairments in motor coordination, decision-making, impulse control, and other functions, increasing the risk of harm. Continuing to drink despite clear signs of significant impairments can result in an alcohol overdose. The best way to avoid alcohol poisoning is to not drink or to limit your alcohol consumption. If you choose to drink, it’s a good idea to drink responsibly and stick to the guidelines for moderating drinking that are mentioned above. Alcohol poisoning is usually caused by binge drinking, which is where you have a lot of alcohol in one drinking session.

However, severe alcohol overdose may cause seizures, resulting in brain damage if oxygen to the brain is cut off. As blood alcohol concentration (BAC) increases, so does the effect of alcohol—as well as the risk of harm. Even small increases in BAC can decrease motor coordination, make a person feel sick, alcohol overdose and cloud judgment. This can increase an individual’s risk of being injured from falls or car crashes, experiencing acts of violence, and engaging in unprotected or unintended sex. When BAC reaches high levels, blackouts (gaps in memory), loss of consciousness (passing out), and death can occur.

Risk Factors for Alcohol Poisoning

Rapid drinking can bring BAC so high that mental and physical functions are negatively affected. If BAC is high enough, it can impair physical functions such as breathing and the gag reflex (that prevents people from choking. Even when someone stops drinking, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can continue to rise for minutes, resulting in worsening symptoms. A person experiencing alcohol poisoning may also have other medical issues, such as a head injury or a drug overdose.

Friends and acquaintances may have a tendency to overlook intoxicated victims, believing that the alcohol will wear off. Severely intoxicated people often smell of alcohol and may experience issues like incontinence, which can be indicators that they are more than drunk. Alcohol poisoning can appear similar to many life-threatening conditions. For example, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), a stroke, or a seizure can cause problems with speech and level of consciousness that may be confused with alcohol consumption. When you have alcohol in your system, you may also experience vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels), which decreases blood pressure. Vasodilation also causes blood to rush to the skin, potentially leading to hypothermia.

Health Encyclopedia

These methods cannot remove excess alcohol from the body and, therefore, cannot reduce the effects of alcohol poisoning. Someone who is drunk can experience worsening symptoms within a few hours. Alcohol intoxication occurs when a person drinks an excess of alcohol in a short period. When a person drinks alcohol, ethanol passes through the digestive system and enters the bloodstream through the linings of the stomach and intestines.

However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. Using alcohol with opioid pain relievers such as oxycodone and morphine or illicit opioids such as heroin is a very dangerous combination, the agency warned. Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday often marked by one (or more) too many drinks. But experts warn that simple holiday fun can quickly turn deadly when alcohol is involved. Leah has worked in several treatment settings, including inpatient, outpatient, and in-home therapy, both as a therapist and a clinical supervisor. She currently serves as a Director of adult outpatient services in a community health center.

Treatment for alcohol poisoning

Other ways to get help include talking with a mental health professional or seeking help from a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous or a similar type of self-help group. Too much alcohol in your bloodstream causes the areas of your brain that support breathing, heart rate, and other essential life-supporting functions to start to shut down. Of course, not every drink is going to lead to alcohol poisoning, but it’s still important to understand that it can be serious. So if you find that a glass or two turns into a bottle or more, you might want to take a hard look at your drinking habits, Dr. Andrews suggests.

• But alcohol poisoning is so serious, that not calling 911 could result in death.
• It’s caused usually by binge drinking and can lead to death or brain damage.
• An alcohol overdose requires hospitalization so doctors can monitor a person’s condition for any complications.
• If someone’s breathing has slowed to less than eight breaths per minute — or if they can’t be woken up — call 911.

It can happen when you drink alcohol faster than your body can filter it out of your blood. Severely high levels may result in an alcohol overdose and be life threatening. Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death. This is of particular concern when you’re taking certain medications that also depress the brain’s function.