Introduction
Your body is said to be poisoned when there is damage to the cells and organs in your body caused by a substance that has been put into the body. For those who get alcohol poisoning, this poison is the alcohol that they have drank. Usually, this occurs in a small amount of time with a large quantity of alcohol, known as binge drinking. Rarely does this occur if a person were to accidentally drink something that has alcohol in this.
Binge Drinking
Binge drinking is categorized as drinking a large amount of alcohol in a small amount of time. For men, this is eight drinks per day, while women are six drinks per day. The recommended daily limits on alcohol are:
- Men can have no more than three to four drinks per day
- Women can have no more than two to three drinks per day
When Drinking, What Happens?
For those who drink, they will find that with each drink, their liver is having to filter out the poisonous alcohol from your blood. The body processes around one unit of alcohol per hour, but the body absorbs this at a much faster rate. If you were to drink a lot of alcohol at once, you will find that the alcohols start to get into your bloodstream, leading to the blood alcohol concentrate levels (BAC) becoming too high.
When the alcohol level becomes too high, the person will start to be affected. Their bodily and mental functions begin to slow down. In addition, alcohol will be affecting the nerves in the body that control breathing, the gag reflux, and your heartbeat. When drinking too much, these functions can even stop, rendering a person unconscious or not breathing.
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning
There are several signs of alcohol poisoning that a person needs to watch out for including:
- Seizures
- Confusion or bewilderment
- Vomiting
- Slow and shallow breathing
- Skin is pale and blue in colour
- Skin is cold and clammy
If you suspect that someone has alcohol poisoning, then you need to call for an ambulance immediately. Check to see if they are breathing.
Once a person is in the hospital, the outlook for recovery is good. The hospital is going to give them fluids, along with vitamins to help get the poison out of their system. Many times, they will have to pump the stomach. There are a small few cases that result in death when the alcohol is left in their system for too long.