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Dangers of Alcohol Poisoning May Be Underestimated

Many people are used to seeing alcohol as a commonplace item at celebrations, in ads and grocery stores; it’s often used as an anesthetic, to clean a home or to sterilize objects. However, many aren’t aware that alcohol poisoning is deadly. The condition is attributed to 1,300 deaths in 2002 alone.

While deaths are more likely when alcohol is paired with other substances, the amount of alcohol needed to lethally poison someone varies from individual to individual – prompting a need for people to know how to recognize alcohol poisoning. Symptoms include seizures, reduced respiration rate, blue-tinted skin, unconsciousness and vomiting.

Not all of these conditions need to be present for the person to be in grave danger. Experts warn that a person should never be left alone who may have alcohol poisoning, and that allowing someone to “sleep it off” is extremely dangerous because the body’s blood alcohol content continues to climb even if the victim has passed out.

The study from the National Center for Health Statistics said that more than three times more deaths were attributed to alcohol when it was used in combination with other drugs (1,076) than alcohol by itself (317). Study authors Young-Hee Yoon, Ph.D., and Hsiao-ye Yi, Ph.d. of the Alcohol Epidemiological Data System Project, worked in conjunction with Mary Dufour, M.D., representing the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Overall, they found the rate of death attributed to poisoning by alcohol was 0.49 for every 100,000 members of the population.

Men seem to be at a greater risk than women of dying from alcohol poisoning. The study showed that 80 percent of alcohol-poisoning deaths were men, with an especially high number of deaths among Hispanic men. Interestingly, middle-aged adults (43 years) reflected the highest number of deaths – not teenagers, as many might assume.

Ethanol, a type of poison, is the ingredient in alcohol that creates the “buzz” effect by acting on the nervous system and the brain. If too much ethanol is consumed, the body becomes severely intoxicated, unconsciousness sets in and alcohol poisoning takes effect. As the condition progresses, the nerve impulses that move between the brain, heart and lungs are impaired, causing these organs to shut down.

Adding to the danger of alcohol poisoning is the fact that it can be ingested quickly, but is passed through the body slowly – allowing it to accumulate in the blood. A blood alcohol content of more than 0.4 can bring on a drastic decline in blood pressure. Young adults, especially, may not even realize how much alcohol is entering their bloodstream because high amounts can be ingested before symptoms like vomiting and nausea set in.

Furthermore, the majority of alcohol in the body is broken down by the liver, and it typically requires an hour for the liver to process just one 12-ounce beer. If excessive amounts of alcohol have been consumed and vomiting ensues, the person may not be able to maintain healthy breathing and can die from suffocation.

Alcohol poisoning can be treated with a flushing of fluids to help eliminate it from the body. Assistance with breathing may also be needed. Deaths and injuries from alcohol poisoning can be reduced as more people realize the dangers of overconsumption and can identify symptoms of alcohol-induced illness.