5 Surprising Units of Alcohol Emergency

Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance with addictive qualities leading to an alcohol emergency.
Worldwide, alcohol intake contributes to 3 million fatalities yearly, leading to millions of impairments and ill health. About 5.1% of the world’s illness is attributable to excess alcohol intake.

Its abuse accounts for about 7.1% of men and 2.2% of women of global illnesses. It also accounts for about 10% of deaths among people about 15 to 49 years of age, making it a top risk factor for early mortality and disability. Hospitalization is also a consequence of excessive alcohol consumption, which is more rampant among vulnerable populations.

What is Alcohol Emergency?

Alcohol Emergency is also known as Alcohol poisoning or overdose. An alcoholic Emergency occurs when you consume a high quantity of alcohol either for a short or long period, which can be very life-threatening and very similar to Alcohol intoxication.

An alcohol emergency is a critical condition. It affects your breath, pulse rate, heart function, body temperature, and gag reflex. It can gradually develop into a coma or death.

Adults or kids can unknowingly take in excess alcohol from home goods, which can lead to an alcohol emergency. Most cases of alcohol emergencies mostly come from heavy drinking of alcohol such as beer, wine, or liquor.

Alcohol is broken down and absorbed by the stomach, from where it enters the bloodstream and spikes up the alcohol level in the body. The liver also breaks down alcohol. Still, a high alcohol level in the blood tends to limit the function of the liver before alcohol metabolism.

Alcohol emergency causes brain depression. The areas of the brain regulating essential bodily processes like respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature are adversely affected. The adverse effects get stronger as the blood alcohol levels rise.

The alcohol units of Alcohol Emergency?

Alcohol poisoning results from having too much alcohol in the blood. Blood-alcohol content (BAC) is expressed as a percentage to reveal the concentration of alcohol in the blood.

Around 1 to 2 units of alcohol

The blood vessels begin to dilate while the heart rate increases. A self-serving mood is experienced from moderate drinking.

Around 4 to 6 units of alcohol

The cells in the nervous system are affected, accompanied by dizziness and impaired decision-making, coordination, and judgment with sluggishness.

Around 8 to 9 units of alcohol

Reflexes will be considerably slower, and vision proceeds to get blurry. There will be difficulty with speech and waking up to episodes of a hangover because the liver can’t get rid of all the booze in one night. You should seriously consider stopping excessive alcohol at this point.

Around 10 to 12 units of alcohol

Drowsiness or dizziness, staggering movement, and difficulty with maintaining posture. The amount of alcohol in the body starts to reach toxic levels. The urge to visit the restroom frequently, as the body tries to get rid of alcohol through urine. This exposes you to a higher risk of having an accident.

More than 12 units of alcohol

This is an alarming stage of alcohol emergency or poisoning, especially when you consume excess alcohol at once. Alcohol alters the body’s functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and gag reflex. It indicates that you’re in danger of passing out.

How do you check if alcohol is present in your system?

There are two primary methods for determining someone’s blood alcohol level:

Breathalyzer: oral intake of alcohol travels through the mouth to the lungs, then to the bloodstream. The breathalyzer is a device used to check for alcohol by breathing into it. It can also calculate your BAC.

Blood test: A lab technician uses a needle to extract a small amount of blood either through the skin or at the tip of your finger. The technician then carries out a BAC analysis. A blood test is usually accurate after six to twelve hours of intake.

What are the signs of an Alcohol Emergency?

• Inability to be awakened by loud shouting, rough shaking, or pinching
• Vomiting
• Loss of consciousness
• Weak pulse or rapid pulse
• Difficulty in breathing, slow or erratic breathing.
• Skin discoloration and the skin feels cold and sweaty to touch
• Bluish lip
• Confusion
• Severely slurred speech
• Loss of coordination and judgment.

At this point, you become unsure of the situation. An alcohol emergency can lead to injury from staggered and unstable movement. These are signs of an Alcohol Emergency.

What should you do?

The first thing you should do is call the emergency code of your country, and while waiting for an ambulance or 911 help, you should do the following first aid treatments:

• Turn the person on their side (recovery position) or make them sit upright to prevent choking if they are vomit
• Don’t let them sleep off because it can be dangerous. There are chances that the level of alcohol in a person’s blood can continue to rise after the last drink, and this is very detrimental to health.
• Give them water, and keep them warm if they can take it. Resist giving them food or juice.
• Check their breathing frequently and ensure it doesn’t get interrupted. Stay with them and be observant.
• Don’t sober them up by giving them coffee or putting them in a cold shower. This can be very dangerous.
• Be very honest with the emergency medical personnel when they arrive, and provide them with the exact details of the alcohol and the amount consumed.

How do you treat Alcohol Poisoning/ Emergency?

• Put an intravenous drip directly into the vein to top off their water, blood sugar, and vitamin levels.
• Put a catheter on their bladder to drain urine directly into a bag to prevent them from wetting themselves.
• Put a tube into their mouth and windpipe (intubation) to open the airway, remove blockages, and assist them with breathing.
• Use a tube to clear the toxins away from the stomach. This process can be referred to as Stomach pumping.
• If the kidneys can’t function properly, then dialysis will be done to filter alcohol from the blood.

How to prevent alcohol Emergencies?

Limit your alcohol intake to avoid alcohol poisoning. Knowing when it is enough is important. If you or a companion are drinking, be aware of how much and how quickly you consume it. Try to step in and limit how much more a friend drinks when it seems they are consuming too much too quickly. Moderation is crucial at all times.

Additionally, you can avoid consuming too much alcohol by:

Avoid drinking games because they may encourage binge drinking.

Remain hydrated: After each alcoholic beverage, drink some water.

Avoid combining alcohol and medications: Never consume alcohol while using a prescribed drug.

Food first: Never drink while you are hungry.

Be cautious when drinking; stay away from beverages that contain energy drinks or whose ingredients you don’t know.

What are the dangers of an alcohol Emergency?

Alcohol poisoning can cause:

• Ceased breathing and excessively dehydrated, which can result in lifelong brain damage with extreme circumstances, a heart attack, death from choking on vomit, becoming more seriously hypothermic
• Seizures due to low blood sugar levels.
• A ruptured blood vessel at the intersection of the stomach and gullet can result from frequent vomiting and retching in the form of blood in the vomit.
• A person’s judgment may be impaired by excessive alcohol use, endangering them and others around them. For instance:

You are engaging in violent or antisocial behavior, having an accident, or sustaining an injury.

Having sex improperly: could result in an unintended pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

• Loss of personal possessions.

What are the recommended alcohol limits?

To lessen your risk of causing harm to your health:

If you frequently consume more than 14 units of alcohol per week, you are encouraged to space out your drinking over three days or more.

An alcoholic beverage equals:

A half-pint of lager, beer, or cider with an alcohol content of 3.6%

A single tiny shot (25ml, 40% ABV) of liquor

When a person takes a large amount of alcohol at once and starts to show symptoms of an Alcohol emergency, some different signs and symptoms come with each unit of alcohol taken. When you realize that your vision gets blurry and your reflexes start becoming slower, you should know it’s high time to stop taking alcohol. In Alcohol Emergency, you should ensure you help the person stay hydrated, which means while taking alcohol, you should remember to drink water to stay hydrated.

Also, you should try as much to help the person sit upright or turn the person on the side to avoid choking.

In conclusion, alcohol can be very harmful to the health and organs of the body. Try as much as possible to get medical help to avoid a heart attack or death. Stay away from a large amount of alcohol, and avoid an alcohol emergency if you are dealing with alcohol addiction, then choose to see a doctor and be willing to be treated. You can drink your alcohol, but excessive consumption harms your health. Stay safe and stay healthy. Your wealth is your health.