1. January 2011
Putting the “Toxic” in “Intoxicated”
What’s the issue? standard drink per hour, you’ve now got 4-5 hours
before your BAC returns to zero. If you drink moder-
When people can’t control their drinking, and when ately, you’ll eventually stop as you get sleepy or tired.
their buddies don’t know what to do with them, the As you sleep, the alcohol that’s already been absorbed
results can be fatal. is gradually burned off at that one-drink-per-hour rate.
But people don’t always drink moderately. Some
What’s going on? people party too hard and get carried away. Some are
celebrating or playing a misguided drinking game.
From April 2005 through November 2010, 74 Some people have serious issues with alcohol depen-
Sailors and Marines died in alcohol-related off-duty dency or abuse. Some are depressed.
mishaps. Thirty-one cases were what doctors call Whatever the case, they all guzzle their way
“acute ethanol intoxication”—a fatal overdose of through the stages of drunkenness. The alcohol de-
alcohol. Fourteen of the victims were also taking or presses and shuts down the brain, and as the alcohol
abusing prescription or illegal drugs. level increases in the blood, the functions that are lost
The victims of alcohol poisoning are usu- are familiar to us all as the person becomes more and
ally inexperienced drinkers who haven’t learned to more drunk (and anesthetized).
moderate their intake. In many instances, families Euphoria and reduced inhibitions are usually
and physicians are reluctant to admit the tragedy harmless, maybe even funny or entertaining. Then
that sons or daughters drank themselves to death in comes the slurred speech, loss of balance, poor
one night of excessive drinking? Most are listed on coordination, and erratic behavior—all things we’ve
death certificates in such medical causes as cardiac seen at parties and all not necessarily too harm-
arrest, suffocation, respiratory failure, aspiration, ful. However, as alcohol continues to depress the
or hypothermia. drinker’s central nervous system, real danger signs
Depending on your size and weight, you can appear: slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths a
get legally drunk with 4-5 standard drinks in the minute), cold and clammy skin, constant and harsh
first hour. And since the liver can only detoxify one vomiting. At some point the person passes out.

2. Whether they come to or not can easily depend did so at 0330 and again at 0950. He was OK the
on what other people do. first time; the second time, he was dead.
For one thing, large amounts of unabsorbed If you have a drinker who is vomiting,
alcohol may still be in the gut and stomach, so breathing slowly, or can’t be aroused, you’ve likely
the blood alcohol level can continue to rise. Since got a case of alcohol poisoning on your hands. Just
alcohol is a stomach irritant, vomiting is likely. “sleeping it off” isn’t a safe option. You need a
Unfortunately, like all anesthetics, alcohol also trained medical person to care for your friend, who
suppresses the “gag reflex,” which is how nature has now become a patient.
normally protects the lungs when someone vom- Medical folks get paid the big bucks to keep
its. Vomiting and inhaling all that acidic fluid anesthetized patients alive while they recover
causes chemical inflammation of the lungs and from such poisonings and overdoses. They place
respiratory failure. protective tubes down the airway, suction the
stomach, ensure oxygen and glucose levels are
What’s the solution? adequate to keep the brain alive, maintain blood
pressure, and provide intravenous hydration while
Don’t leave them alone. In one case, an the patient recovers. Unless you’re capable of do-
excessively drunk enlisted man entered a buddy’s ing all this by yourself, call 911 and let them take
room. That person took him to his own room and, the responsibility
the mishap report said, “put him in his rack face Don’t take chances when another person’s
down with his face turned outboard… two room- life is at stake, even if the drunk is underage or
mates were told to check him periodically.” They will get in trouble.
DISCUSSION ITEMS/ OPEN QUESTIONS
1. How do you define “moderate” drinking?
2. What are some ways to get someone to slow down when they are drinking too
much, too fast?
3. Why can some people control their drinking and others can’t?
BY DEREK NELSON, HEAD MEDIA DIVISION
Supervisors: Use this page to guide safety discussions with your personnel
Send your feedback to: safe-mediafdbk@navy.mil
(you can also sign up to receive this resource by email)