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Symptoms | What to do | Dealing with an Intoxicated Person | What NOT to Do

 

Alcohol Poisoning

Over 1,700 college students die each year as a result of alcohol related causes, including alcohol poisoning.  Knowing the following information can help you identify the signs and symptoms of a potentially dangerous situation.

 

Signs & Symptoms

• Person is unconscious or semiconscious

• Person cannot be woken up when shaken, prodded, or otherwise prompted

• Cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin

• Ten seconds or more between breaths

• Vomiting while passed out

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What To Do

Call 911 immediately if a person is suffering from any of the above symptoms. Turn the person on his or her side. Focus on your friend's health, not on keeping them out of trouble. Never leave them alone to sleep it off!

Different factors may contribute to a person’s excessive consumption of alcohol.  If you are confronted with this situation what is important is not why a person has had too much to drink, but what to do about it.  The following are some suggestions to approaching this situation with a focus on safety and awareness.

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How to Deal with the Intoxicated Person

• Demonstrate concern for the person’s welfare. 

• Speak in a clear & calm voice in order to reassure them.

•  Find out what the person was drinking, how much they drank and how long they have been drinking.

• Ask about any other drugs or medicines they may have taken.  

• Explain what you intend to do.

• Arrange for someone to stay with the person who is vomiting.

• Call for help if the person becomes uncontrollable or you sense an impending medical emergency.

• As needed, encourage the intoxicated person to lie down and sleep.  Make sure they’re lying on their side to avoid choking should they start to vomit.

• Check every 30 minutes for response and breathing for the first 2 hours and every hour thereafter.

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What NOT to Do

• Leave the person alone or assume that they will “sleep it off”.

• Give the person a shower.

• Give the person food or anything to drink (especially stimulants such as tea or coffee) to sober them up.

• Induce vomiting.

• Keep the person awake.

• Never let an intoxicated person drive a motor vehicle or bike.

• Write on them.

• Walk them around.

 

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