Binge drinking
Drinking 5 or more alcoholic beverages on one occasion is considered binge drinking. It can lead to risky decisions, injuries, alcohol poisoning and more.
Alcohol poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is the result of having too much alcohol in your body, and it can be fatal.
Some of the signs that a person is reacting to too much alcohol:
- seizures
- throwing up (vomiting) while asleep, which can lead to choking
- very slow breathing (less than 8 breaths per minute) or irregular breathing (more than 10 seconds between breaths)
- confusion or coma (the person won’t wake up when moved)
- hypothermia (bluish skin colour)
If you find someone with any of the signs of alcohol poisoning:
- Call 911 immediately and get help.
- Put them in the recovery position (see image below).
- Lay the person on their side, with one arm under their head, and the head tilted down a little. If the person throws up (vomits), they don’t choke on it. This is known as the bacchus manoeuvre.
- Use the person’s top arm and top leg for support by placing them on the floor or bed.
This item was last modified on September 14, 2016