Alcohol Poisoning

“My name is Jennifer, I'm an alcoholic”. - This is how Jennifer introduces herself to the meeting at ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’. Jennifer, 36 yrs, has gone through turmoil in her life as she hit rock bottom and went through hell which she had created for herself abusing alcohol all through her adolescence and adulthood. She has even passed out on several occasions when she had been on alcohol binge. Jennifer has been lucky to be able to get out of alcohol addiction. She is now living a peaceful life with her kids.

John was in the emergency room last week, disoriented, his speech slurring, walking unsteadily, lacking judgment, and losing sense of the external world. John was intoxicated with alcohol. It was a clear presentation of acute alcohol poisoning. His blood alcohol level was more than 5mg/dl. He was given continuous intravenous fluids with multivitamins to be able to get him back to normal health.

The above two scenarios are examples of what alcohol can do to a person.

According to the new CDC report released in January 2015, on an average, about 6 people die of alcohol poisoning everyday in the US. 76% of deaths due to alcohol poisoning are among adults between the age of 35 and 64. About 76% of those who die from alcohol poisoning are men.

Alcohol is ingested in various forms and quantities across the world. The lethal or toxic dose of alcohol in the human body is 5mg/dl, above which a person can show signs of alcohol intoxication or poisoning.

When does alcohol poisoning occur?
Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person drinks large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time. This is called 'Alcohol Binge' or 'Binge Drinking'. Although, most cases of alcohol poisoning occur among the middle-aged adults and men, it can occur in anybody including children.

It is a co-incidental finding that most patients with alcohol poisoning also show intoxication signs of other illegal drugs and substance abuse.

What does alcohol poisoning do to a person?
When a person goes on an alcohol binge, the high level of alcohol in the blood shuts down the most sensitive parts of the brain that control breathing and respiration. Hence, the person can stop breathing all of a sudden. The mental status of the person is not normal. Alcohol causes mental impairment in the judgment of a person. This leads to a high chance of assault, injury and death that can result subsequently.

Alcohol causes water and electrolyte imbalance within the body. An osmolal gap is created. The person is dehydrated. He or she may lose important electrolytes like sodium and potassium, causing further damage at the cellular level. The person experiences increased heart rate, sometimes disturbed or irregular heartbeats or arrhythmia that can be life threatening as well.

Binge drinking can also take a toll on the liver and its metabolism. The liver is unable to handle such a huge load of alcohol intoxication and this ultimately results in acute liver failure. Similarly, the kidneys are affected too, causing acute renal failure.

Hence, alcohol circulates in the body and affects all the vital organs of the body causing a potential threat to the person’s life.

What is the treatment of alcohol poisoning?
Most patients of alcohol poisoning are so intoxicated and mentally unstable that they are not in a situation to seek medical help for themselves. Therefore, a friend or family or a passer-by usually brings in these people into the emergency room. It has to be noted that most patients of alcohol poisoning require immediate medical care in a hospital set-up.

Treatment of alcohol poisoning is symptomatic with fluid and electrolyte replacement. Antidotes like fomepizole and ethanol can be used depending on the type of alcohol and the quantity ingested. It also requires multivitamin supplementation especially vitamin A and folic acid.

How to prevent alcohol poisoning?

• The only way to do this is to prevent binge drinking.
• One can sign up for self-help groups for alcoholism such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Strengthening the existing proven programs that work to prevent alcoholism.
• Collaborating with health departments, doctors and nurses, and other health care providers such as social counsellors.
• Bringing up stronger health policies that prevent people from binge drinking.

Now that you are aware of alcohol poisoning, stay away from binge drinking.