Alcohol Dosage Guide

Alcohol overdose (alcohol poisoning) is a medical emergency that kills approximately six people per day in the United States alone. Understanding the signs and knowing what to do can save lives -- including yours. ## Recognizing Alcohol Poisoning The critical signs that distinguish dangerous overdose from ordinary drunkenness are: - **Unconsciousness that cannot be roused** -- if you cannot wake someone by shouting, shaking their shoulders, or applying a sternal rub (knuckles pressed firmly into the center of the chest), this is a medical emergency - **Slow or irregular breathing** -- fewer than 8 breaths per minute, or gaps of 10 seconds or more between breaths - **Vomiting while unconscious or semi-conscious** -- the gag reflex may be suppressed, creating an immediate aspiration (choking) risk - **Seizures** -- alcohol poisoning can trigger tonic-clonic seizures - **Blue, gray, or very pale skin** -- particularly around the lips and fingertips, indicating oxygen deprivation (cyanosis) - **Hypothermia** -- cold, clammy skin. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, causing rapid heat loss despite the subjective feeling of warmth - **Mental confusion so severe the person cannot speak or respond coherently** ## What to Do **Call emergency services immediately (911 in the US).** Do not wait for all symptoms to appear. Do not worry about "overreacting" -- medical professionals would far rather respond to a false alarm than arrive too late. Most jurisdictions have Good Samaritan laws that protect both the caller and the intoxicated person from legal consequences. While waiting for help: - **Place the person in the recovery position** -- on their side with their head tilted slightly forward and down. This prevents aspiration if they vomit - **Stay with them** -- their condition can deteriorate rapidly - **Monitor breathing** -- if breathing stops, begin CPR if you are trained to do so - **Keep them warm** -- cover them with a blanket or jacket - **Collect information** -- how much they drank, what they drank, whether they took any other substances, any known medical conditions ## What NOT to Do - **Do NOT "let them sleep it off"** -- BAC can continue to rise for 30-40 minutes after the last drink as alcohol is absorbed from the stomach. Someone who seems "just very drunk" can deteriorate into a coma - **Do NOT give them coffee, cold showers, or food** -- none of these reverse alcohol poisoning. Coffee does not sober anyone up; it creates a wide-awake drunk person - **Do NOT induce vomiting** -- with a suppressed gag reflex, this can cause aspiration - **Do NOT leave them on their back** -- vomit aspiration is one of the most common causes of alcohol-related death ## BAC and Lethality For reference: a BAC of 0.30-0.40% typically produces stupor and loss of consciousness. A BAC of 0.40% is the commonly cited threshold where death becomes likely. A BAC of 0.50% or higher is usually fatal. However, chronic heavy drinkers with high tolerance have survived BAC levels above 0.50% -- tolerance shifts the threshold but does not eliminate the danger.