New Year's Eve is just around the corner providing the perfect excuse for college students, young adults, and teenagers to party and celebrate. Unfortunately, 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 is in the form of binge drinking.
Binge drinking can result in alcohol poisoning. It is defined by consuming alcohol in rapid succession (about five drinks for men and four drinks for women). The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 grams percent or above.
Alcohol poisoning symptoms to look for are confusion or stupor, vomiting, seizures, slow or irregular breathing, blue-tinged skin or pale skin, low body temperature, and unconsciousness. Alcohol poisoning can lead to coma and death. Long term effects may include stomach ulcers, liver problems, cardiovascular disease, sexual dysfunction, and neurological damage.
Alcohol is also a major factor in vehicular accidents and deaths, unintended pregnancies, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
A person with alcohol poisoning needs emergency treatment immediately. Even when someone has stopped drinking, alcohol continues to be released into the bloodstream and the level of alcohol continues to rise. Do not encourage the person to vomit the alcohol. If they are suffering from alcohol poisoning, their gag reflex is impaired, and they may choke or inhale their own vomit which could cause a lung injury.
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