A long feast, prolonged holidays, stress relief after busy working days, parties with friends - all this is often accompanied by the intake of alcoholic beverages. Many lose control over the quantity and compatibility of the products they use. The result is an overdose of alcohol.
What is a condition?
Pathology develops with the uncontrolled use of products containing ethanol.
Often this phenomenon leads to sad consequences. Even a fatal outcome is likely. The most reliable prevention of alcohol overdose is control over the volume of products consumed. But if the excess of the allowable amount nevertheless happened, you need to immediately provide the poisoned first aid. To do this, you should be able to clearly recognize the signs of pathology.
Dangerous dose
How much alcohol-containing products can be fatal? According to experts, a male person who is not inclined to consume such drinks can destroy three hundred and fifty milliliters of vodka. And for individuals suffering from chronic alcoholism, the lethal dose is 600 ml. However, for a fatal outcome, it is necessary that the product is drunk within a short period of time (faster than 5 hours). As a rule, in such cases, a protective reaction of the body is triggered - a gag reflex. A large amount of food rich in lipids increases the likelihood of an overdose of alcohol. After drinking with a plentiful snack, a person does not lose consciousness, he does not feel sick, therefore, the risk of death is increased. If the reception of alcohol-containing products is accompanied by moderate consumption of food, vomiting occurs in the victim, and some of the toxins leave the body. Thus, the protective reflex will save the patient's life.
The lethal dose of alcohol for a person in ppm is 5-6 units. Severe intoxication occurs when 2.5 units are consumed. ethanol.
Other causes of poisoning
Pathology may be associated with the reception of low-quality products. Such drinks do not contain ethanol, but other alcohols that pose a danger to health and life.
These include:
- Methanol.
- Acetone.
- Isopropyl alcohol.
- Butyl.
Signs of pathology
With an overdose of alcohol, the following symptoms are observed:
- Headache.
- Feeling of nausea and bouts of vomiting.
- Nervousness.
- Increased need for sleep.
- Pale or bluish skin tone.
- Frequent and loose stools.
- Trembling hands.
- Impaired consciousness.
- Slowing the breathing process.
- Motion coordination disorders.
- Decreased body temperature.
- Violations of the functions of the visual apparatus (in case of poisoning by low-quality products, for example, methanol).
Stages of intoxication
Specialists distinguish three phases of the development of pathology:
- Light poisoning. It is characterized by increased sociability, impatience, decreased concentration, poor coordination of movements, emotionality. Breathing becomes rapid, the face takes on a red tint.
- Second phase. Speech becomes confused, mental activity deteriorates. There is disorientation in space and time, aggressive behavior, insecure gait. The drinker has a feeling of nausea, vomiting. The skin becomes pale in color.
- The third degree of pathology is characterized by a fainting state, a decrease in the volume of the pupils.
Can I die from an overdose of alcohol? A fatal outcome is very likely. In this condition, cardiac muscle arrest may occur. Patients with alcoholism in the case of the development of the third degree of intoxication often retain consciousness and are able to contact with others. Unfortunately, far from all of them manage to provide the necessary assistance to the victim in time.
How to alleviate the condition of the patient?
In the presence of pathology, it is necessary to take care of human safety. The condition of the victim and even his life depends on how quickly and correctly the first aid is provided in case of an overdose of alcohol. So, what should others do?
First, you should rinse the patient’s stomach. A person is given a large volume of clean water to drink (approximately one and a half liters). After that, place two fingers in your mouth, press on the root of the tongue. It should be remembered that during vomiting, the pressure rises. For patients with hypertension, this condition is a threat, as it can cause a heart attack. Therefore, the victim should be given periodic inhalation of ammonia. In order to quickly remove toxins from the body, the patient should use lemon juice with sugar.
In case of impaired consciousness, vomiting cannot be provoked. It is necessary to place a person in a horizontal position, turn his head on his side, to provide access to fresh air. There should be no foreign objects in the patient’s mouth.
Many are lost in a situation where one of their relatives has an overdose of alcohol. What to do in such cases? These measures will help alleviate the condition of the patient, but he needs the help of doctors and, possibly, therapy in a hospital.
If symptoms of poisoning occur, call an ambulance and report the proposed diagnosis.
Prohibited Treatment
In case of an overdose of alcohol, one should not give the patient medications, since many of them, coming into contact with ethanol, cause damage to the body.
If you need to constantly take drugs, alcohol is unacceptable.
In addition, you should not let the poisoned go to bed. Rest in a similar situation negatively affects the patient's condition and can even lead to death. Drinking coffee during intoxication is also prohibited. After all, the patient’s heart muscle experiences a double load. Of course, you should not give the victim additional portions of alcohol. It is unacceptable in this state to take a cold shower.
Inpatient Therapy Methods
In case of an overdose of alcohol, doctors who come on call begin to save the victim even before arriving at the medical institution. Medical measures include connecting to a ventilator (in case of breathing problems), a dropper to remove toxins from body cells. In a hospital setting, some patients undergo a hemodialysis procedure. A person with this pathology is in the intensive care unit for about twelve hours, in the usual department for at least two days.
In the case of addiction, a dropper is often required for alcohol intoxication at home. This procedure allows you to improve the well-being of the victim after 60 minutes after its completion. A person is given medications that reduce craving for ethanol, drugs that normalize blood pressure and the functions of internal organs, as well as drugs that help remove toxins from body cells.
Low-quality product poisoning
In the case of the use of surrogate alcohol, a person needs the help of medical workers. You can not carry out therapy at home, you should immediately call an ambulance. Poor production negatively affects the activity of the myocardium, urinary and nervous system. The only thing that relatives of the victim can do is rinse his stomach. Giving the patient any medication is strictly prohibited. Any, even harmless means, for example, activated carbon, will not improve the condition of the individual. On the contrary, tablets can aggravate the course of pathology.
A person who does not have special knowledge is not able to recognize surrogate alcohol. How to protect yourself from intoxication? Firstly, the most reliable preventive measure is a healthy lifestyle. A person who does not consume alcohol-containing products is not likely to develop this pathology.
Secondly, you need to buy alcoholic beverages only in specialized stores.
Conclusion
Intoxication with alcohol-containing products is a serious pathology that requires immediate medical attention. The consequences of an overdose of alcohol can be very dangerous, up to a coma or death. In case of moderate poisoning, the patient, as a rule, does not need hospitalization. In the case of addiction, it is recommended to resort to the services of specialists in the field of narcology. Doctors working in private clinics can offer droppers for alcohol intoxication at home to rid the body of the victim of harmful substances.
As a rule, within a week after poisoning, the patient's health is restored. His body is cleansed of toxic compounds. During this period, you must follow a diet. The patient's diet should include boiled chicken, cereal dishes, vegetable soups.
Fruits and juices should also be consumed to provide vitamins to the body. To improve the functioning of the stomach and intestines, kefir, yogurt, yogurt and other fermented milk products are useful. Black tea is better to replace green.