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United States Alcohol poisoning: The signs you should 'dial 999 immediately'
When you drink alcohol, your liver serves as a filter trying to get your drinks out of your blood, the NHS reports. Alcohol, unlike food, gets absorbed very quickly but this time isn’t as short when it comes to your body trying to process it. Your body needs approximately one hour to process one unit of alcohol. And drinking too much in a short space of time can even lead to alcohol poisoning.
There is a couple of things you can do to help the person with alcohol poisoning while waiting for the ambulance, the health service explains.
You should keep the person affected sitting up and awake.
If the person is able to drink, you can give them water.
However, if the person is unconscious, you should put them into so-called recovery position.
You should also make sure the person is warm as their body temperature can drop and cause “severe” hypothermia.
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Another important thing to do is to stay with them and don’t let them sleep it off.
The NHS explains the alcohol level in blood can continue to rise for around 30 to 40 minutes after the last drink.
This can lead to symptoms getting progressively more severe later.
You also might have heard about popular methods claiming to help someone sober up, including a cold shower or coffee, however, the health service advises against this.
Once the person is taken to the hospital, they will be carefully monitored until the alcohol leaves their system.
If they need any sort of treatment, this will be provided for them, the NHS explains.
Treatments can include giving them a drip with blood sugar and vitamins or inserting a tube into their mouth so they can breathe.
To avoid alcohol poisoning, you should never drink on an empty stomach, the Mayo Clinic advises.
When you do decide to have a drink, you should drink it slowly and in moderation, not having more than 14 units a week.
Alcohol poisoning is mainly common among younger people in the UK.
It has also taken a toll on many lives as alcohol killed 7,423 people in 2020, which is more than in any of the previous 20 years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
There are also other health risks posed by alcohol poisoning, ranging from a heart attack to ceasing to breathe.
It’s also important to avoid binge drinking – having too many drinks over a short period of time - as this can put you at a higher risk of alcohol poisoning.
