Alcohol Poisoning and its Symptoms

Alcohol Poisoning and its Symptoms: Alcohol poisoning occurs due to drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period, which is serious, and sometimes may have fatal consequences. Alcohol poisoning (too much alcohol intake in a very short period or binge drinking) may lead to breathing difficulty, affect heart rate and gag reflex, and may lead to coma and ultimately death. Alcohol poisoning needs immediate medical attention and if you suspect someone to be suffering from alcohol poisoning, get medical attention immediately.

Commonly alcohol poisoning may occur if someone consumes five or more drinks within a short span of time in a row. Sometimes alcohol poisoning may also occur due to drinking household products containing alcohol, but this is a rare cause of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is generally treated by respiratory support (breathing difficulty is the common problem of Alcohol poisoning), intravenous fluid, and multivitamins, till alcohol is completely removed from the person.

Symptoms of Alcohol poisoning:

Vomiting (this is a common symptom)
Slow respiratory rate (maybe less than eight respirations per minute) and irregular breathing (the gap between two breaths becomes different).
Confusion, stupor, seizure
Hypothermia (body temperature of fewer than 35 degrees Centigrade)
Skin color becomes blue or pale.
Unconsciousness and coma, (a person with these symptoms have the risk of a fatal outcome).
A person suffering from alcohol poisoning may not have all the symptoms described above and there may be only a few symptoms.

When to consult a doctor:

If you suspect a person to be suffering from Alcohol poisoning, do not wait for the symptoms or signs of classic Alcohol poisoning and seek medical attention immediately. If the person is conscious, take the person to the hospital immediately. If the person is unconscious, and breathing has slowed down and become irregular, do not expect the person will regain consciousness by itself without treatment. Even when a person stops drinking, alcohol may still be going to bloodstream from the stomach. A person with Alcohol poisoning does not “sleep off”, they become unconscious, take the person to a nearby hospital immediately or call local emergency medical care.