SPREADING AWARENESS TO

ALCOHOL POISONING
BY: SARAH SPANBAUER
DEFINE ALCOHOL POISONING

A condition when a toxic amount of alcohol consumed in a

short period of time
Can be deadly and most often results into going to the
hospital for emergency treatment
HOW MUCH IS IN A DRINK

Know how much you consume through a given amount of time

In the United States, a standard drink is one that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is
found in:
12 ounces of beer with 5 percent alcohol content
5 ounces of wine with 12 percent alcohol content
1.5 ounces of distilled spirits with 40 percent alcohol content
Unfortunately, although the standard drink amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, but
might not reflect customary serving sizes. A large cup of beer, an overpoured glass of wine, or a
single mixed drink could contain much more alcohol than a standard drink.
In addition, while the alcohol concentrations listed are typical, there is considerable variability in
alcohol content within each type of beverage (e.g., beer, wine, distilled spirits).
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL
POISONING
Confusion
Vomiting
Seizures
Slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute)
Irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths)
Blue-tinged skin or pale skin
Low body temperature (hypothermia)
Passing out (unconsciousness) and can't be awakened
WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE HAS
ALCOHOL POISONING
Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. Never assume the person will sleep off alcohol
poisoning.

Prepare to provide information. If you know, be sure to tell hospital or emergency personnel the kind and
amount of alcohol the person drank, and when.

Don't leave an unconscious person alone. Because alcohol poisoning affects the way the gag reflex
works, someone with alcohol poisoning may choke on his or her own vomit and not be able to breathe. While
waiting for help, don't try to make the person vomit because he or she could choke.

Help a person who is vomiting. Try to keep him or her sitting up. If the person must lie down, make sure
to turn his or her head to the side this helps prevent choking. Try to keep the person awake to prevent loss of
consciousness.

Don't be afraid to get help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAYS TO PREVENT ALCOHOL POISONING

Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all..

Don't drink on an empty stomach.
Understand and self-educate yourself about the dangers of alcohol,
including binge drinking.
If a friend is drunk, make sure alcohol drinks are out of their reach
Get follow-up care. Meeting with a health professional, particularly
an experienced chemical dependency professional, can help you
prevent future binge drinking.
DAMAGES OF ALCOHOL POISONING TO
THE BODY
As blood content increases, it can decreases coordination, make
people sick, and cloud judgment. Ultimately lead to injury from
falls, car crashes, vulnerable to sexual assault or violence, and
increases risk for unprotected or unintended sex. Amnesia or
blackouts can occur.
Can do damage to basic life-support functions such as
breathing, heart rate, and temperature control- begin to shut
down
DAMAGES CONTINUED

When Alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to

enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.
Alcohol acts as a depressant, hindering signals in the brain
that control automatic responses such as the gag reflex.
Alcohol can irritate the stomach, causing vomiting. With no
gag reflex, a person who drinks to the point of passing out is
in danger of choking on vomit, which, in turn, could lead to
death by asphyxiation.
Even if one survives from an alcohol overdose it can possibly
STATISTICS ABOUT ALCOHOL RELATED
PROBLEMS
According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, almost 60 percent of college students ages 1822
drank alcohol in the past month,and almost 2 out of 3 of
them engaged in binge drinking during that same timeframe.
About 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24
die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including
motor-vehicle crashes.
STATISTICS CONTINUED

About 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are

assaulted by another student who has been drinking.
About 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report
experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
About 1 in 4 college students report academic consequences
from drinking, including missing class, falling behind in class,
doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades
overall
STATISTIC CONTINUED

n a national survey of college students, binge drinkers who

consumed alcohol at least 3 times per week were roughly 6
times more likely than those who drank but never binged to
perform poorly on a test or project as a result of drinking (40
percent vs. 7 percent) and 5 times more likely to have missed
a class (64 percent vs. 12 percent).
About 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for an
Alcohol Use Disorder
REFERENCES

https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/collegefactsheet/coll
egefact.htm
https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/alcoholoverdosefacts
heet/overdosefact.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-pois
oning/symptoms-causes/dxc-20211603
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=
10930