Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol poisoning is a dangerous and even life-threatening condition. Learn more about alcohol poisoning and get treatment for alcohol addiction before it is too late.

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Understanding Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person has consumed more alcohol in a short time than their body can process.

The body is overwhelmed by the toxic effects of alcohol, leading to severe impairment, and dangerous physical effects that become increasingly hazardous over time, and if more alcohol is consumed.

If left untreated, these effects can be fatal.

Who is At Risk of Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol poisoning can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, weight, or alcohol tolerance.

Alcohol poisoning is caused by drinking large quantities of alcohol in a short space of time. This makes binge drinking (usually defined as five drinks for a man in one sitting and four for a woman) especially dangerous.

Alcohol poisoning is a major problem in America. Around 2,000 Americans a year, or 6 per day, die from alcohol poisoning.

BAC Chart

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels serve as a guide for measuring the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream. BAC is usually measured from breath, blood, and urine tests.

BAC measures how much alcohol is in the bloodstream. The risk of alcohol poisoning is measured by a person’s BAC level.

Because factors such as age, weight, gender, metabolism, and alcohol tolerance influence how rapidly the body processes alcohol, even if two people have consumed the same amount of alcohol, they may have radically different BACs.

This is why BAC is a much better measure of alcohol toxicity than the amount of alcohol consumed. In most American states, the legal limit is a BAC of 0.08.

Although everyone processes alcohol differently, and the same person can even process alcohol differently in different circumstances (such as if they have eaten or taken medication), this chart may still provide a rough estimate of BAC based on different weights and drinks consumed.

BACs highlighted in italics are illegal limits in most American states.

Weight (lbs)	Number of Drinks
Weight (lbs)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
100	0.032	0.065	0.097	.0129	.0162	0.194	0.226	0.258	0.291
120	0.027	0.054	0.081	0.108	0.135	0.161	0.188	0.215	0.242
140	0.023	0.046	0.069	0.092	0.115	0.138	0.161	0.184	0.207
160	0.020	0.040	0.060	0.080	0.101	0.121	0.141	0.161	0.181
180	0.018	0.036	0.054	0.072	0.090	0.108	0.126	0.144	0.162
200	0.016	0.032	0.048	0.064	0.080	0.097	0.113	0.129	0.145
220	0.015	0.029	0.044	0.058	0.073	0.088	0.102	0.117	0.131
240	0.014	0.027	0.040	0.053	0.067	0.081	0.095	0.108	0.121

How Does Alcohol Poisoning Occur

The body primarily metabolizes alcohol in the liver. However, this process can only happen so quickly, with the average person only being able to process one ounce of alcohol every hour.

An ounce of alcohol is roughly the same amount that is found in one shot of hard liquor, one glass of wine, or one beer.

If a person drinks more alcohol before the body has had a chance to break down the alcohol they have already consumed, that alcohol remains in their bloodstream and increases their BAC.

The BAC rises as more alcohol is consumed, and rises higher more rapidly when alcohol is consumed quickly.

The process of alcohol poisoning is as follows:

As the level of BAC rises, the dangerous impact that alcohol has on the body systems it encounters rises too.

The level of impairment increases with each drink. Impairment generally begins with feelings of euphoria and warmth.

Slowly but surely, consumption leads to lower inhibitions and an impact on mood. Speech becomes slurred, and vision, reaction time, decision making, hearing, and balance all become increasingly impaired.

Eventually, all motor functions are so impaired that the individual is essentially incapable of functioning properly.

At some point in this process, the body will no longer be able to handle the alcohol and will begin to purge itself. The individual will start to feel nauseous, and will eventually begin vomiting.

The next stage of alcohol poisoning is generally when the person blacks out. This happens when the person loses all control, and will generally not remember anything that happened the next day.

There reaches a point when the body cannot handle the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream. In most instances, the person will lose consciousness completely.

However, their body is still processing the alcohol, so they may continue to vomit even while unconscious. If a person vomits while unconscious it may fill up and block their air passages. If they are alone, they could choke and die.

If a person consumes so much alcohol that their body is unable to process it, their system may shut down. They may fall into a coma, experience permanent brain damage, and potentially die of numerous conditions, most notably cardiac arrest and dehydration.

Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

Confusion, incoherence, and stupor
Unconsciousness or coma
Unresponsiveness
Vomiting, that often continues even if the person is unconscious
Erratic or drastically slowed breathing
Low body temperature
Seizures
Pale or blue-tinged skin color

Treatment for Alcohol Poisoning

Some people may be embarrassed or scared to visit an emergency room to get help for a friend that they suspect has alcohol poisoning.

However, the risk of embarrassment, cost, or reproach from friends and family is far lower than the risk of death.

Although the person with suspected alcohol poisoning must go to the hospital immediately, there are some steps to take while en route or waiting for an ambulance:

Ensure that the person stays on their side if they are lying down, to reduce the risk of death from choking on vomit
Monitor their breathing and try to keep them conscious if possible
Never leave the individual alone or unattended