If someone shows these symptoms after heavy drinking, they need immediate medical help. Ultimately, this type of medical intervention is often life-saving for people who are suffering from alcohol poisoning. If the person still has a lot of alcohol in their stomach, doctors won’t want it to enter the person’s bloodstream. The risk of alcohol poisoning also increases among younger people if the situation is unsupervised. The symptoms of alcohol poisoning are often life-threatening, so being able to recognize the signs can potentially save someone’s life.
From there, it passes into the bloodstream. In extreme cases, serious breathing issues can occur.8 Other dangers include a higher risk for injury from fights or accidents. This is a more severe form of intoxication. The level of intoxication depends on how much alcohol has been consumed. Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality. Once the person is stable enough to transport, the paramedic team will take them to the hospital for further medical care.
How is alcohol poisoning diagnosed?
These effects are signs your body is already working hard to process the alcohol. A healthcare professional will monitor the person’s vital signs while they recover. If anyone shows signs of severe intoxication, contact emergency services immediately. Once ethanol is inside the bloodstream, it can travel throughout the body, affecting various functions. If an individual drinks alcohol on an empty stomach, their BAC usually peaks within 30–90 minutes.
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It includes information about blood alcohol concentration or content (BAC) — a common way to measure intoxication for medical or legal purposes. Also known as drunkenness, alcohol intoxication is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by drinking alcohol. It happens when a person drinks so much alcohol that their body is no longer able to process it, leading to impaired bodily functions like breathing, body temperature, and heart rate. Anyone who drinks large amounts of alcohol in a short period puts themselves at risk for alcohol poisoning, but certain groups may be more vulnerable. Alcohol poisoning—also known as an alcohol overdose—happens when you have more alcohol in your bloodstream than your body can process.
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This keeps any leftover alcohol from getting into your bloodstream. Your doctor can diagnose alcohol poisoning based on your symptoms. And middle-aged people are more likely than younger ones to take prescription drugs, which can increase the severity of alcohol poisoning. Teens and college-age adults are most likely to engage in binge drinking. “Extreme” binge drinking involves double these amounts. Alcoholic drinks contain a form of alcohol known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol.
Alcohol poisoning
Many people with alcohol poisoning vomit. Other factors include your medications and how much food you am i an alcoholic 10 warning signs of alcoholism and how to get help eat before drinking. If alcohol consumption continues beyond the severe impairment stage, symptoms can be critical or life-threatening. If you notice someone experiencing these symptoms, it’s important to get them to stop drinking to prevent symptoms from worsening and becoming life-threatening. These symptoms indicate that alcohol is seriously affecting your body and vital functions like memory and awareness. As you drink more alcohol, the symptoms of impairment worsen.
If the person lives with an underlying alcohol use disorder, more symptoms may occur. However, the amount of alcohol needed for intoxication varies from person to person. Concerned that you might experience alcohol intoxication? In moderate and severe cases, measuring the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is essential. Diagnosis of alcohol intoxication always requires ruling out other conditions. Not only the effects of alcohol but also the complications caused by it – such as accidents and violence – are a major threat to a person’s health.
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At the hospital, doctors will make sure the person is breathing correctly. If necessary, they might provide an IV to improve blood sugar and increase hydration. Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical intervention. Alcohol poisoning impacts the body’s gag reflex, so if they throw up while unconscious, they can choke on their own vomit if they aren’t in this position.
Some people become more outgoing or talkative. Drinking alcohol may feel pleasant initially. Learn more about the short- and long-term effects of alcohol consumption here.
- Most states legally define alcohol intoxication as having a BAC of 0.08% or above.8
- Measuring the alcohol concentration blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the most accurate measurement of the alcohol level.
- Heavy alcohol use is a leading cause of death across all ages, accounting for 3.8% of all deaths worldwide.5
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- Copyright © 2025, AddictionHelp.com The information provided by AddictionHelp.com is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Ethyl alcohol poisoning generally results from drinking too many alcoholic beverages in a short period of time. Low blood sugar is another sign of possible alcohol poisoning. The chance of an alcohol overdose is very high here, and medical help should be sought immediately. In every U.S. state (besides Utah— which is .05%), the legal definition of alcohol intoxication is a BAC of 0.08% or above.8
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- If you’ve drunk a dangerous amount of alcohol, doctors may “pump” your stomach.
- Alcohol poisoning is a life-threatening condition that happens when toxic levels of alcohol cause areas of the brain that control essential functions to shut down.
- The table below shows common symptoms at each level of alcohol intoxication.
The amount of alcohol it takes to cause alcohol poisoning varies depending on factors like body weight, tolerance, and how quickly the alcohol is consumed. Throughout this process, the medical team will monitor the person’s heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure to keep an eye out for complications. Paramedics are usually the first healthcare providers to respond to an alcohol poisoning situation. Binge drinkers, particularly young adults and adolescents, are at high risk due to their tendency to consume excessive alcohol quickly. In all cases, the symptoms of alcohol poisoning will be the same. For instance, drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short time can potentially cause your BAC to become dangerously high.
What’s the difference between being drunk and alcohol poisoning? What is the best thing to do if you have alcohol poisoning? The following things don’t help reverse alcohol poisoning.
Severe intoxication (alcohol poisoning):
If you think that someone has alcohol poisoning, get medical attention right away. Alcohol poisoning is a serious — and sometimes deadly — result of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Services include medical care, behavioral therapy, and support groups, along with other customized therapies. Medical care professionals treating patients for alcohol poisoning should check for possible Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Some signs to watch for include decreased mood and appetite, memory problems, headache, and fatigue. If you are concerned about someone with these symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention.
For more information, visit the Health Topics page on Binge Drinking.
People affected will have symptoms that result in alterations in a person’s consciousness, cognition, perception, judgment, affect, or behavior. Once the affected person is sober again, it should be evaluated if alcohol or substance abuse is an ongoing problem due to an alcohol use disorder. In people affected, it is important to also check for underlying alcohol abuse. Particularly in regular drinkers, symptoms and the BAC do not necessarily relate to each other, making an accurate measurement beneficial. Measuring the alcohol concentration blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the most accurate measurement of the alcohol level. In people affected, it is important to also check for an underlying alcohol use disorder.
The amount of alcohol consumed is not the only factor in determining BAC. An example of a standard drink is 12 fluid ounces of regular beer or 8-9 fluid ounces of malt liquor. View our editorial content guidelines to learn how we create helpful content with integrity and compassion. Copyright © 2025, AddictionHelp.com The information provided by AddictionHelp.com is not a substitute for professional medical advice. In addition to managing a successful family medical practice, Dr. Hoffman is board certified in addiction medicine by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM).
Alcohol intoxication occurs when a person drinks an excess of alcohol in one period. Severe alcohol intoxication — or alcohol poisoning — is a dangerous condition that requires immediate medical attention. Alcohol intoxication refers to a temporary condition that occurs when a person drinks an excess of alcohol at one time. A major cause of alcohol poisoning is binge drinking.