What does dangerously drunk look like?
Drinking too much alcohol might start out sounding like fun, but it can be deadly. Alcohol poisoning is much more common than most people think. Drinking enough to black out is one sign of alcohol poisoning, a potentially lethal intake of alcohol that's surprisingly easy to reach, but you don't have to black out to have alcohol poisoning.
There's an old suggestion that one alcoholic drink per hour is safe, but that advice isn't set in stone. Consider: Perhaps your friends don't mix their drinks the same way you do or you had something to eat tonight but your companion did not. Also, after the first couple of drinks, that theory gets a bit more fuzzy. Alcohol doesn't absorb at exactly the same rate all the time, regardless whether you have an empty stomach or not. Even after you stop drinking, the alcohol level in your blood will often keep rising for a time.
You're likely to see things on this list that you've either seen in others or experienced yourself when drinking. Just because you're still here and still breathing doesn't mean these aren't serious symptoms. A drunk person who's confused and complaining of nausea is at risk. It's not good enough to simply drive the intoxicated person home and tuck him or her into bed. At an absolute minimum, a sober person will need to stay nearby to see if he or she gets worse.
Call 9
11 immediately for an intoxicated person who has any of the following symptoms:
Alcohol Poisoning Treatment
There are a lot of myths about treating alcohol poisoning. Calling 911 or taking the intoxicated person to the hospital is the only safe way to treat alcohol poisoning. The most important first aid for alcohol poisoning—after calling 911—is to keep the person safe until help arrives. The most important issue is protecting the person from choking on his or her own vomit. It might not work very well. In the only study of body positioning in comatose poisoning victims I could find, the best position turned out to be face down (prone) rather than on your back or side. In the study, rescuers documented which position they found their unconscious overdose patients. The patients underwent X-rays the next day to see how much gunk they had in their lungs. Folks who were found on their backs (supine) or on their sides (the usual recovery position) sucked up more stomach contents than the face-down crowd. The only group that did as well were the people awake enough to sit up a little. If you are going to position the person to allow the airway to drain, you have to go all the way. It's not enough to turn the victim's head to the side. You have to actually roll him or her over so anything that bubbles up from the gut can't just slide to the back of the throat and down into the lungs.
Taking care of your drunk friends means getting them the medical attention they need if you suspect they may have drunk too much. It’s better to exercise caution when in doubt in order to save your friend’s life, or others he might endanger as a result of his actions.