Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
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Alcohol overdose is a severe and potentially life-threatening condition. It happens when you consume a large amount of alcohol quickly, leading to alcohol poisoning.
Ingesting more alcohol than the body can process causes:
Contact a medical professional if you or someone you know is exhibiting signs of an overdose. Regardless of its mortality rate, an overdose is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention.
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A standard drink is about 14 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol, which is roughly equivalent to:
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, drinking in moderation is different for men and women. For men, it’s two or fewer drinks a day and one or less for women.
Exceeding these limits can lead to intoxication and potentially an overdose. It can also increase the risks of experiencing:
Alcohol poisoning happens when you drink more alcohol than your body can process. As the small intestine absorbs alcohol, it passes it from the stomach and sends it to the bloodstream, which increases your blood alcohol content (BAC).
Your liver is a critical part of breaking down and metabolizing alcohol. However, it can only metabolize a limited amount at a time. The excess unmetabolized alcohol ends up distributed throughout the body. This causes side effects typically associated with alcohol poisoning.
A doctor can diagnose an alcohol overdose by checking a person’s BAC levels from blood tests, urine tests, or measuring their blood sugar.
They’ll connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor
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Alcohol metabolism can vary among individuals, but the body typically processes one drink per hour. This is roughly the equivalent of a shot of liquor, one beer, or one small glass of wine.
Drinking beyond a person’s alcohol tolerance limit will likely be too much for the body to break down, leading to intoxication and potentially an overdose. However, each person’s blood alcohol levels rise at different rates due to various factors such as:
Alcohol metabolism can also be affected by how much alcohol you drink and whether or not you eat before drinking. However, four factors remain consistent regarding your alcohol metabolism:
Your alcohol tolerance level can affect the likelihood of alcohol poisoning. If you have a higher tolerance for alcohol, you’ll need to drink more of it to feel its effects.
Alcohol tolerance can change over time, but a higher level can lead to heavy and long-term alcohol abuse.
Binge drinking is the most common reason for alcohol intoxication. It's a pattern of consuming five or more alcoholic drinks for men or four drinks for women within two hours. This lack of control often leads to excessive drinking, especially when participating in risky activities like drinking games.
Binge drinking is dangerous because you might consume a fatal dose of alcohol before passing out. While unconscious, alcohol will continue to flow into your bloodstream, raising blood alcohol levels. These are linked to alcohol poisoning deaths.
Whether or not you’re taking medication is another critical factor influencing intoxication. Drinking alcohol while taking other substances is considered substance abuse. It can increase alcohol’s effects, such as extreme drowsiness, overdose, and other harmful consequences.
Alcohol can have adverse interactions with various over-the-counter and prescription medications. These include:
Drinking alcohol with opioid pain relievers is particularly dangerous. These drugs suppress vital areas of the brain that are also adversely affected by alcohol.
It’s best to consult your healthcare provider if you can drink alcohol while on medication.
Alcohol poisoning can happen when children or adults accidentally ingest household products that contain alcohol.
It's important to label products accordingly and keep all types of alcoholic beverages out of reach of children. For older children and young adults, alcohol must be locked away so it cannot be accessed easily.
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Recognizing the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning can help people seek timely help. These signs include:
It's not necessary to have all the symptoms listed above to experience an alcohol overdose. If you experience more than one of these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.
In addition to the symptoms of an alcohol overdose, serious complications can arise from drinking too much alcohol.
Some of these risks include:
Prolonged exposure to high levels of alcohol can also lead to permanent brain damage, which affects vital life functions. Failure to control automatic responses and basic life support functions can lead to severe illnesses and life-threatening consequences.
Knowing the health risks associated with excessive drinking can help prevent alcohol overdose. The best way to avoid its harmful effects is by abstaining from alcohol altogether. However, if you want to drink alcohol without the risk of overdosing, here are a few tips you can follow:
You can prevent an overdose by allowing your body to process the alcohol before drinking more of it. Remember, it’s not about how much you drink but how fast you drink it.
You absorb alcohol faster when you drink on an empty stomach. When you’re full, the stomach sphincter muscle closes to digest food to slow the absorption of alcohol. Although having food in your stomach cannot prevent an alcohol overdose, it will help mitigate some of the effects of mild to moderate drinking.
It's essential to secure products that contain alcohol to avoid accidental overdoses. Ensure all alcohol-containing products are kept out of the reach of children.
These include:
Consuming these products can also indicate signs of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Many people suffering from this disorder may drink rubbing alcohol and other household products to get drunk.
If you or a loved one are experiencing problems related to alcohol use or misuse, seek help from a medical practitioner or healthcare professional. Alcohol poisoning treatment is typically done in a hospital emergency room.
From there, you’ll be physically examined and monitored for symptoms. The attending physician will provide the following treatments as necessary:
Treatment may vary depending on whether or not you drank alcohol while taking prescription medication. Combining the effects of alcohol and other substances can lead to alcohol toxicity, which requires different medical solutions.
An alcohol overdose is a condition where your body is processing excessive alcohol. It’s harmful and potentially life-threatening when you drink too much alcohol too quickly.
Although alcohol in moderation is safe to consume, various factors can increase the likelihood of an overdose. This includes factors such as age, gender, weight, etc.
Alcohol poisoning symptoms can lead to slow breathing, unresponsiveness, permanent brain damage, or death. Contact emergency medical help if you notice two or more symptoms of an overdose.
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