Things You'll Need:
- Physician
- Poison control center
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Step 1
Recognize that not all symptoms need to be present in order for alcohol poisoning to have taken place. The presence of any combination of these symptoms, accompanied with excessive recent intake of alcohol, should be viewed with extreme suspicion.
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Step 2
Get medical attention if your skin becomes bluish or pale. The severe dehydration caused by alcohol poisoning, which is a medical emergency in and of itself, affects skin tone.
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Step 3
Know that confusion and dizziness are classic symptoms of alcohol poisoning. However, these symptoms can be difficult to recognize when the person is intoxicated because they are also hallmarks of drunkenness.
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Step 4
Seek medical help if vomiting or hypothermia persist, or if the person goes into seizures. If vomiting and a low body temperature are still present 8 to 12 hours after the last drink was consumed, it is almost certain that alcohol poisoning has taken place and medical attention must be sought at once.
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Step 5
Recognize that slow or irregular breathing patterns are also a sign of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, meaning that it slows down vital bodily functions.
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Step 6
Telephone your local poison control center if the person who is suspected of having alcohol poisoning is conscious. Discuss the symptoms and their severity with the operator, who will advise you whether or not immediate medical attention should be sought.
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Step 7
Call for help at once if a person falls unconscious ("passes out") due to excessive alcohol intake. Someone who passes out and cannot be awoken has a case of alcohol poisoning so severe that it is life threatening.
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Step 8
Never leave a person who has passed out from excessive alcohol intake by himself. Because the gag reflex is suppressed when large amounts of alcohol have been consumed, an unconscious person may either choke on their own vomit, or accidentally inhale vomit into his lungs, which will cause serious and potentially fatal lung injuries.
