Alcohol Poisoning Help
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IF YOU CANNOT WAKE THE PERSON, |
IF YOU ARE AT ALL CONCERNED, GET HELP!! |
Some things to try. |
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Try to wake the person. |
The first thing you should do is try to find out if the person is at all attentive. Is he/she unconscious? Can he/she be woken up at all? Try calling his or her name. Try waking the person up. You can try pinching the person. Remember alcohol is a depressant, which will numb the nerves. By pinching, we can gauge how far along in the 'overdose' scale the person is. |
DO NOT leave Unattended. |
Stay with the person. Only leave him/her if you have to go to a phone or to get someone to help you. Monitor breathing. Make sure the person does not roll onto his/her back. |
Turn the person on their Side |
Turn the person on his or her side. We turn the person on his/her side so that if he/she gets sick and vomits, the airways will not be blocked and he/she will not choke. |
Check Skin Color and Temperature. |
Is his/her skin pale or bluish or is it cold or clammy? |
Check Their Breathing |
If a person is breathing irregularly with a few breaths and then nothing for a while, this is a sign that medical attention is necessary. If the person's breathing is too slow or shallow (less than 8 breaths per minute) or more than 10 seconds between breaths, this is a sign that you should call 9-1-1 |
There are no absolutes; everyone is different. |
These are just some of the potential signs of acute alcohol poisoning. A person might have one or all. There is no guarantee that, say, if a person is breathing 9 times a minute they will be fine, or if they are breathing 7 times a minute they will die. |
Here is a source for more detailed information about alcohol and college life. http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/
Reference Chart
Condition |
Treatment |
Trouble breathing/stops breathing |
Go immediately to emergency room or call 9-1-1 |
| Vomiting | Try to keep person sitting up. |
| Passed out | Try to wake person up. If you can't, put person in fetal position, Campus Security 243-6131 and then 911 |
Fever/chills or Skin is cold, pale, bluish color, or sweaty |
Call Campus Security 243-6131 and then 911 |
| Injured | Take the person to the emergency room. The intoxicated person may not feel pain and tell you they don't need medical assistance. Do not believe them; insist that they see a health care provider. |
| Paranoia, confusion, disorientation, or difficulty standing up or speaking | Take the person home and make sure they don't drink anymore. Try to keep the person awake and calm. If symptoms persist, call a doctor. |
