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Intoxication
Intoxication
Helping people make informed choices about alcohol.
Intoxication
Someone with alcohol poisoning needs urgent medical attention
summary
Alcohol poisoning can be fatal
Call for help and don't try to sober them up or let them sleep it off
If someone's suffering from alcohol poisoning, they need urgent medical attention
Alcohol poisoning is the result of drinking dangerous amounts of alcohol. It can be deadly; those who survive can be left with irreversible brain damage.
When someone consumes excessive amounts of alcohol, their breathing slows and the brain is deprived of oxygen. The struggle to deal with an overdose of alcohol and lack of oxygen will eventually cause the brain to shut down the body functions that regulate breathing and heart rate. When that happens, the drinker can die.
Rapid, excessive drinking is especially dangerous because people can consume a fatal amount of alcohol before they lose consciousness. It's best to always drink in moderation and to avoid taking part in drinking games that involve drinking excessive amounts or drinking rapidly.
Underage and inexperienced drinkers are particularly vulnerable to alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is most commonly associated with drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time.
Warning signs
Signs that someone might have alcohol poisoning include:
Mental confusion
Slow or irregular breathing (with gaps between breaths of more than eight seconds)
Difficult to awaken
Blue-tinged skin, pale skin and/or cold clammy skin
Stupor, unconsciousness, coma
Low body temperature
Vomiting
A strong smell of alcohol
Seizures
People can be suffering from alcohol poisoning without having all these signs and symptoms. If you suspect that someone has alcohol poisoning, get emergency medical help immediately.
People should never be left to 'sleep it off' – this could be a fatal mistake. A person's Blood Alcohol Concentration – the concentration of alcohol in the blood – may continue to rise even after they have passed out.
If alcohol poisoning goes untreated, the following can happen:
The victim can choke on his or her own vomit
Blood sugar can decrease (i.e. hypoglycaemia) which can cause seizures
Breathing slows, becomes irregular and can stop
Permanent brain damage
The heart beats irregularly and can stop
Death
Body temperature decreases (i.e. hypothermia)
Take action
A person with alcohol poisoning needs urgent medical attention. Here's what you should do:
Don’t panic
Keep them warm
Get medical help immediately – call the emergency services
Stay with them until medical help arrives
Turn them on their side (to prevent them inhaling or choking on vomit)
Don't try and sober the person up with black coffee or cold showers – these things don’t work – and don't leave them to 'sleep it off'. They may never wake up.
Download our factsheets
- For people above legal drinking age only
- Don’t drink and drive
- Don’t drink while pregnant