What to do if you get poisoned by alcohol

Nowadays, people basically cannot do without alcohol when dining and socializing. Moderate drinking does not have much effect on the body, but if you are allergic to alcohol or drink too much, it may lead to alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can cause vomiting and nervous confusion in mild cases, and coma or even death in severe cases. Therefore, if alcohol poisoning occurs, it must be treated promptly and correctly.

1. Treatment of patients with mild symptoms (consciousness)

(1) If you feel unwell after drinking a lot of alcohol, you should induce vomiting immediately and repeatedly. This is the most effective measure to prevent alcohol poisoning. It can greatly reduce the patient's pain and harm and achieve twice the result with half the effort. However, if drinking exceeds 1 hour, the effect of gastric lavage will be greatly reduced because most of the alcohol consumed is absorbed within 1 hour. Therefore, gastric lavage is not recommended if more than 1 hour has passed since drinking.

(2) Patients with mild poisoning do not need treatment. They can eat some foods high in sugar, such as apples, bananas, oranges, honey, etc., as well as foods rich in vitamin C and vitamin B. At the same time, patients are encouraged to drink plenty of water to promote urination. Those who are agitated can be restrained appropriately, with emphasis on protecting their heads and faces to avoid injuries.

2. Treatment of comatose patients

(1) Patients who are drowsy or comatose, as well as those with cardiovascular disease, should be sent to the hospital for examination and treatment. Before arriving at the hospital, the patient should be placed in a side-lying position and care should be taken to keep the patient's airway open.

(2) Not all patients with alcohol poisoning need to go to the hospital. If the patient’s general condition is good, sometimes they do not need to go to the hospital. For patients who do not go to the hospital, the most important thing is to have someone to take care of them until they wake up. Never let the patient sleep alone, otherwise the patient may suffocate and die due to vomiting during sleep. There are countless similar tragedies.

(3) Treatment of critically ill patients in the hospital usually involves close observation of vital signs, preferably with ECG monitoring, while also providing fluid and sugar supplements and maintaining water and electrolyte balance to prevent the occurrence of complications. Naloxone can be used to promote awakening for patients in deep coma, and tranquilizers can be used to treat manic patients. Some auxiliary therapies of traditional Chinese medicine can also be used. For example, medical literature reports that drinking water soaked with the traditional Chinese medicine Pueraria root is helpful for patients with alcohol poisoning, so it can be tried.

3. About the folk remedies for hangover

There are many folk remedies for sobering up, such as drinking vinegar, sugar water, coffee and tea, etc. Although these methods can be tried, there is no medical evidence that these methods are effective for alcohol poisoning. So don't expect these methods to be effective.