Alcohol intoxication symptoms treatment first aid. The main care for severe poisoning is carried out in a hospital! Why does alcohol cause poisoning?

Alcohol for human body is a poison that can have harmful, painful and in some cases even fatal effects. The term “alcohol intoxication” is appropriate when the ppm of alcohol in the blood significantly exceeds 0.4.

Symptoms of alcohol intoxication

If the amount of alcohol in the blood fluctuates around 1.5 ppm, then this condition is called the initial stage of alcohol intoxication. This stage is fraught with painful. When the ppm level reaches 2-3, the average stage of alcohol intoxication begins, and all values ​​above the indicated figures indicate a severe stage of the condition in question.

Naturally, it is impossible to accurately determine ppm at home, so the presence/absence of certain symptoms is used to differentiate the stages of alcohol intoxication. The following signs will be characteristic of the first and second (mild and moderate) stages of alcohol intoxication:

The above symptoms correspond to the first and second stages of alcohol intoxication; damage to the body will be caused, but it is still fixable. The second stage of the condition under consideration can end with alcohol anesthesia or go into the third (severe) stage, which has some characteristic features. The third stage of alcohol intoxication will be characterized by:

• complete loss of control over your body - it’s quite difficult to walk or just sit;
• cold and clammy skin;
• lack of intelligible speech.

Important! The onset of the third stage of alcohol intoxication is fraught with serious consequences, including alcoholic coma and death. The first two stages of the phenomenon under consideration can be completely compensated for at home, but if a person develops symptoms of severe intoxication, then an ambulance needs to be called. Before the doctor arrives, the sick person must be wrapped in a blanket, and if he is conscious, then vomited.

How to relieve alcohol intoxication

It is worth knowing that there are a number of measures that will prevent alcohol intoxication. If you are planning a feast, then in order to avoid the development of the condition in question, you need to prepare the body:

• immediately before the feast, take several tablets of activated carbon (3-5) and continue to take them as you consume them alcoholic drinks(for example, every hour and a half, 2-3 tablets);
• before the start of the holiday, eat a bowl of thick porridge from any cereal;
• Before drinking alcohol, drink a glass of whole milk.

These methods will not save the body from the negative effects of alcohol, but will minimize the consequences.

To reduce the consequences of alcohol intoxication of the first and second stages, doctors recommend drinking a lot of water, but you should not get carried away with brine - it contains acid, which creates only short-term compounds with ethanol, which automatically complicates the removal of toxins from the body. An excellent way to quickly restore health after drinking alcohol is to drink, which not only neutralizes the effect of acetaldehydes, but also has an analgesic effect.

Note:Vomiting due to alcohol intoxication is great! In no case should you restrain the urge to vomit, since it is in this way that the stomach is freed from excess alcohol, which will invariably lead to relief from alcohol intoxication.

At the first and second stages the best method To combat alcohol intoxication there will be vomiting and subsequent sleep. But if in the second stage of the condition under consideration a person has fallen into alcohol anesthesia, then under no circumstances should one induce vomiting! It is necessary to constantly remain near a sick person to prevent vomit from entering the Airways with involuntary vomiting.

If alcohol intoxication occurs in mild or middle stage, then you can independently speed up the natural processes of removing alcohol from the body:

1. Take in moderation cold and hot shower– the water should be cool, but not icy. The procedure is carried out within 5-10 minutes, but if your condition does not allow you to take such a shower, then you should at least rub your body with a damp towel.
2. Take painkillers to relieve headaches, but they contain there should be no paracetamol.
3. No later than 2 hours after the onset of symptoms of alcohol intoxication, take Filtrum or Polysorb - enterosorbents will reduce the negative effects of alcohol on the body and will promote the rapid removal of toxins from the organs gastrointestinal tract.
4. After getting rid of acute symptoms For alcohol intoxication, it will be useful to consume chicken or beef broth.
5. To fall asleep peacefully, you can take motherwort in tablets.

Treatment of alcohol intoxication

Treatment will be required in severe cases of alcohol intoxication and, first of all, it will be necessary to prevent further absorption of alcohol into the blood. For this purpose, a person with severe alcohol intoxication is given 10 tablets to drink, and then the stomach is washed. This procedure can be carried out by injecting a large amount into the patient’s stomach. warm water, after which it is called vomiting reflex by mechanical irritation of the root of the tongue. At the same time, doctors take measures aimed at preventing the development of collapse, for which cordiamine or caffeine is administered intramuscularly.

Most effective means Treatment of severe alcohol intoxication is a method of rapid sobering up. First, the patient is injected intramuscularly with vitamin B6 and literally after 5-10 minutes he begins to think much better, and a certain enlightenment of the mind occurs. At this moment the patient is given a drink “cocktail” of corazol, phenamine and nicotinic acid diluted in 100 ml of warm water. After 10-20 minutes, the patient’s condition returns to normal, thinking is actively clarified, behavior is within the normal range, and emotional inhibition disappears.

note: Phenamine is not sold in pharmacies, so it is impossible to make such a cocktail at home. This method of quick sobering is used only in medical institutions.

To reduce blood alcohol concentration, doctors use:

• 1 ml of 1% nicotinic acid solution;
• 20 ml of 40% glucose solution;
• 10 ml of 5% ascorbic acid solution.

Droppers for alcohol intoxication

If a person is diagnosed with a severe stage of alcohol intoxication, then his body may suffer irreparable harm. In this case, doctors must prescribe the patient drips with a complex of drugs that can prevent the development of severe pathological processes on the background alcohol poisoning.

It probably sounds trite to say that alcohol is a poison for the human body. But, fully aware of this and agreeing with the correctness of this postulate, our people drink. They drink a lot, without thinking about the consequences and believing that nothing will happen to them personally, because they “control the situation”! But, alas, this is self-deception - someone who drinks even a small amount of alcohol can no longer be considered adequate, and someone who “had fun” from the heart runs the risk of serious alcohol poisoning. We will discuss the symptoms and treatment of this condition in this article.

Degrees of alcohol poisoning: mild poisoning

In medicine, alcohol intoxication is divided into three degrees: mild, moderate and severe. Mild degree- this is exactly the state for which, in fact, drinking is started: elation, a feeling of lightness and joyful excitement.

A person highly appreciates his capabilities, he is “knee-deep in the sea.” But, interestingly, this stage of intoxication still leads to an increase in errors in work and a decrease in mental and physical activity.

Externally, alcohol poisoning is manifested by slight redness of the skin and dilated pupils. The drunk person sweats more and the urge to urinate becomes more frequent.

A drunk person speaks loudly and becomes categorical, although he expresses his “smart thoughts” incoherently. Movements become sweeping, facial expressions are disrupted, and concentration becomes difficult. Added to these symptoms are hidden experiences and personality traits “rising from the recesses of the soul,” which were controlled when sober, but are now not restrained by anything. Usually, this state It goes quickly and quite easily.

Moderate degree of alcohol poisoning

Moderate alcohol poisoning is characterized by more serious symptoms: impaired gait (swaying) and coordination of movements, double vision, loss of intelligibility of speech.

This stage of intoxication leads to the fact that the “friend of the green serpent” is no longer able to control his words and actions. Depending on their character, a drunk person can become boastful and cheeky or, conversely, touchy, sad, depressed and overly self-critical. For some people, this stage of poisoning leads to aggressiveness and a desire to get into a fight for any reason.

As a rule, after moderate alcohol poisoning, the “fun” person feels weak, severe headache, thirst, weakness, nausea and vomiting.

Severe degree of intoxication

If the state of intoxication intensifies, then a person’s speech becomes illegible, slurred and meaningless, he loses the ability to understand the meaning of what was said. Consciousness becomes foggy, the skin becomes hot, the face turns red, and pain sensitivity decreases. By the way, a drunk may accidentally injure himself and not detect damage to his body in time.

Severe alcohol poisoning has very serious symptoms. A person suffering from severe intoxication may experience breathing problems. There is also a high risk that the intoxicated person will have cardiac arrest. In some cases, when the amount of alcohol in the blood exceeds 3%, stunning occurs and, as a result, coma begins.

If the dose of alcohol consumed is 300-400 g in terms of pure alcohol, then acute poisoning which manifests itself as convulsions, breathing problems, profuse salivation and redness of the whites of the eyes due to dilation blood vessels. Human life severe poisoning alcohol is in danger: the victim requires urgent medical attention.

What is alcoholic coma

We should also talk about such a life-threatening condition as alcoholic coma. Severe alcohol poisoning, the symptoms of which were described above, can reach the comatose stage, so the signs of this condition should be well known.

The main one is loss of consciousness. Sometimes the victim has slight motor agitation. By the way, in this situation, the eyes of the drinker will be able to tell worried friends or relatives that danger is approaching. Be sure to pay attention to them.

• The drinker's pupils do not react to light; they lack a corneal reflex (the eyes do not close if the cornea is gently touched).
• Nystagmus (pendulum-like movement) is observed eyeballs).
• When there is a threat of coma, alcohol poisoning is manifested by constriction of the pupils (in medicine this is called “miosis”). Sometimes they narrow and expand alternately. Often observed simultaneously different size pupils in the right and left eyes.

Signs of alcoholic coma from the respiratory and cardiovascular systems

Due to tongue retraction, aspiration (entry into the respiratory tract) of vomit, bronchorrhea ( copious discharge sputum) and hypersalivation (increased salivation), the victim may experience symptoms of breathing problems. It becomes uneven, intermittent, expressed by wheezing in the lungs and a pale, and sometimes bluish, coloration of the face (in medicine this phenomenon is called “cyanosis”).

Signs of alcohol poisoning, threatening coma, are also a malfunction of cardio-vascular system. At the same time, blood pressure drops, the heart rate decreases - this condition produces a thread-like weak pulse.

To the signs listed above, you can add a decrease in body temperature, the appearance of convulsions, epileptiform seizures, as well as involuntary release of urine and feces.

Difficulties in diagnosis

However, it should be taken into account that it is not always easy to determine alcohol poisoning. Treatment requires accurate diagnosis, since similar symptoms appear while taking drugs: similar confusion and slurred speech, glitter in the eyes, agitation or drowsiness.

A clinical picture of intoxication is also given by poisoning with alcohol surrogates (denatured alcohol, cologne, polishes, acetone, etc.). Please note that poisoning in such cases is much more severe due to the presence of methyl spit, essential oils, aldehydes, resins and aniline dyes in these substances. And among the symptoms, pain in the legs, thirst, headache and visual impairment.

By the way, conditions resembling intoxication can also occur during a stroke or brain injury.

Diagnosis of comatose states

As you know, diagnosing a patient in a comatose state causes difficulties in almost all cases, and alcohol poisoning that caused a coma is no exception.

In this case, the patient’s relatives or friends are required to provide accurate information about what happened before the onset of coma: whether the patient abused alcohol, is addicted to drugs, has diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, or head injuries. The smell of alcohol from an unconscious patient does not exclude the possibility of a stroke or brain injury caused by drinking alcohol.

Help with alcohol poisoning causing coma

If, based on the signs listed above, you understand that a drunk person is in a critical, pre-comatose state, then do not delay and call an ambulance. In the meantime, start rescue efforts.

Do not turn the victim onto his back! This is dangerous because a person who has lost consciousness may choke on vomit.

Gastric lavage is also not allowed. You can only clear his upper respiratory tract of mucus, saliva, etc. To do this, turn the patient on his side, secure his tongue, for example, with a clothespin wrapped in gauze, and use a napkin to clean the oral cavity. A rubber bulb will help clear vomit from your throat.

If necessary, begin artificial respiration. For the same purpose, try letting the patient inhale ammonia on a cotton swab. Be sure to open the windows and provide the victim with fresh air.

The main care for severe poisoning is carried out in a hospital!

Specialized care for severe alcohol poisoning takes the form of intensive therapy, which involves subcutaneous administration of atropine (to reduce hypersalivation and bronchorrhea), caffeine (10% solution) and cordiamine (25% solution) 2 ml subcutaneously. Recommended intravenous administration glucose solution (40%) and ascorbic acid solution (5%) in a volume of 2 ml.

To combat acidosis, a solution of sodium bicarbonate is injected drip into a vein; additionally, nicotinic acid subcutaneously To avoid secondary infection, antibiotics are administered. All these measures are taken already during the patient’s hospitalization, and, as a rule, they make it possible to eliminate even the most severe consequences of alcohol intoxication.

What to do in case of moderate alcohol poisoning

In the case where the patient does not need specialized assistance, you can alleviate his condition yourself. First aid for alcohol poisoning is to prevent alcohol from being absorbed into the blood. To do this, you should induce vomiting in the patient: irritate the root of his tongue with your fingers and give him drinking plenty of fluids(only warm water!). This is done several times until clear liquid begins to come out of the stomach. If a drunken person is unable to rise, his head is turned to one side and slightly lowered.

If after the procedures a person feels weak and his skin has turned pale, wrap him in a blanket and apply a heating pad to his feet. hot water. Give the victim hot, strong tea to drink.

How doctors called to your home provide assistance

Sometimes the victim's condition requires medical care even though the intoxication was not severe. High-quality professional care is provided by doctors called to your home. As a rule, they perform standard gastric lavage, and if necessary, they use a special tube.

After cleansing procedures, infusion therapy(dropper). At home, as well as in the hospital, it includes a glucose solution, which helps accelerate the oxidation of alcohol, and a vitamin complex, including 5% solutions of vitamins B1 (3-5 ml), B6 ​​(5 to 10 ml) and ascorbic acid . They have a detoxifying effect and help normalize metabolic processes.

Why a dropper?

Why do doctors prefer IV treatment? The fact is that a dropper in case of poisoning is the only way deliver quickly medicine into the body to all tissues and organs, bypassing the blood-brain barrier. The drug in this case slowly and gradually penetrates into the blood, thereby ensuring a constant concentration of the drug, and the doctor can monitor the patient’s condition, deciding whether the dose of the drug is sufficient and adjusting it if necessary.

In addition, if there is a large loss of fluid, and this is what happens with vomiting, which often accompanies poisoning, it is the dropper that helps restore required amount fluids in the body.

Alcohol poisoning: treatment at home

With the help of home remedies, as you already understand, you can only fight mild degree intoxication. the main objective Such procedures are a cleansing of the body. Such events are carried out in several stages.

1. Need to drink as much as possible more water(at least one liter), and then induce vomiting 3-5 times, since most of the alcohol taken orally is absorbed in the stomach.
2. When the stomach is cleared, you need to drink water again, because alcohol greatly dehydrates the cells. Please note that if you have kidney disease, this advice must be followed very carefully!
3. Additional purification is carried out using sorbents (activated and white carbon). Alcohol poisoning can also be alleviated with the drug Enterosgel, which successfully relieves the symptoms of intoxication within an hour.
4. In order to help the liver, which is greatly damaged by excessive drinking, you need to take amino acids. Such drugs include Glutargin.

The use of folk remedies to relieve intoxication

A lot of advice on how to relieve alcohol poisoning can be found in folk medicine. Please note that application folk remedies it is also necessary to begin with cleansing the victim’s stomach and eliminating dehydration. Traditional healers advise drinking strongly brewed black tea, which can be sweetened with honey. To reduce nausea, lemon balm is added to it, which tones and refreshes well.

Chicory root, or rather a decoction of it, also helps in such situations. This medicine should be taken one tablespoon up to four times a day. To reduce the manifestations of poisoning, celery root juice is also useful, which should be taken in a tablespoon 3 times a day.

Categories of people at risk of severe alcohol intoxication

It is perhaps difficult to find a person who has never tried alcohol in his life. And it’s good if acquaintance with this insidious product did not lead to the symptoms of poisoning listed above, and did not require an IV at home.

By the way, there are groups of people for whom alcohol can cause particularly significant damage and cause symptoms of poisoning.

• Teenagers. Their body is unable to properly break down alcohol, so poisoning occurs with almost every attempt to have fun with alcohol. Even a small dose of it leads to serious consequences.
• Aged people. They risk that their body, due to general weakness, is unable to effectively withstand an alcohol attack, which can cause a severe blow to their health.
• People taking potent drugs medications, among which there may be those that are absolutely incompatible with alcohol.
• People with a weakened metabolism may react painfully to even a small dose of alcohol, since their body is not able to process it normally.

However, everyone, having drawn conclusions from what they read above and their own life experience, may come to the right decision: if alcohol has such a severe and terrible effect on the mind and consciousness, and the consequences of its use are so dangerous, then maybe you should give up alcohol?

Good day, dear readers!

I assume that if you start reading this article, then perhaps the time of day is not very good. But still, if you read these lines after alcohol poisoning, then everything is not so bad. You just need to adjust your health a little, and I hope you will find the rules for this adjustment for yourself - first aid for alcohol poisoning in this article.

Without delaying you any longer, let’s begin to look at the symptoms, causes and first aid for alcohol poisoning.

At the beginning, it is worth saying that alcohol intoxication is different from alcohol poisoning. Of course, in essence, intoxication is also an intoxication of the body, since the symptoms of intoxication are not the norm of its functioning, but still, let’s distinguish between these concepts.

Symptoms of alcohol intoxication:

• violation of movement coordination;
• lethargy, impaired concentration;
• eyes become shiny;
• speech disorders - the voice becomes loud, speech is slurred, unclear;
• emancipation, a person becomes overconfident in his capabilities, and often overestimates them;
• The boundaries and measure of alcohol consumed disappear.

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning:

• abdominal pain, ;
• dizziness, ;
• violation of movement coordination;
• increased sweating, tearing and salivation;
• red eyes due to burst blood vessels eye whites;
• , painful appearance.

Severe alcohol poisoning - symptoms

If alcohol enters the body after severe alcohol intoxication, severe intoxication of the body develops, which is expressed in the following symptoms:

• involuntary urination and defecation;
• disturbances in the functioning of the heart, the pulse becomes weak;
• lips and skin begin to turn blue;
• the respiratory system is depressed, attacks of suffocation may develop;
• Consciousness is impaired and severe dizziness occurs.

At this stage, if you do not stop the further entry of alcohol into the body, you do not provide first aid and do not take the victim to medical institution, coma occurs, which can be fatal.

Causes of alcohol poisoning

Among the most common causes of alcohol poisoning are:

- consumption of low-quality alcoholic beverages, the so-called “alcohol substitute”, small dose which can seriously harm your health;

- consumption of drinks based on ethyl alcohol (ethanol): medical alcohol diluted with water, colognes, lotions, tinctures.

- drinking alcoholic beverages in excess;

- drinking alcohol on an empty stomach;

- consumption of liquids based on butyl, amyl, methyl, propyl and other types of alcohol.

What to do if you are poisoned by alcohol? First aid for alcohol poisoning or severe alcohol intoxication includes the following recommendations:

1. Call an ambulance or try to transport the victim to a medical facility yourself. The faster this is done, the faster doctors will be able to begin the procedure for removing alcohol from the human body, and, if necessary, begin the resuscitation procedure.

2. Gastric lavage. Before the doctors arrive, it is necessary to begin rinsing the stomach until the alcohol is absorbed into the blood and completely absorbed by the body.

It is advisable to call for gastric lavage. To do this you need to drink 2-3 glasses of warm boiled water and press with 2 fingers on the root of the tongue. If the patient does not have an ulcer, you can add a little soda to the water, this will improve the overall effect. If possible, vomiting should be induced until the vomit becomes watery.

Important! For mild alcohol poisoning, rinsing with vomiting can be skipped. IN in this case You can take medications to remove alcohol from your body, as well as generic drugs for alcohol poisoning (point 6), which will do their job perfectly.

3. Lay the victim down. The less the victim moves, the slower the alcohol will spread throughout the body. Just position the patient so that when he vomits, he can easily turn his head to the side, otherwise there is a risk of vomit getting into the respiratory tract. Remove tight clothing from the patient and provide free access to air. When, cover the person with a warm but light blanket.

4. Detoxification of the body. After gastric lavage, it is necessary to remove the remaining toxins or alcohol (poisoning product) from the body.

To cleanse the body of the poisoning product, you need to take an adsorbent: “Activated carbon” (at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight), “Atoxil”, “Smecta”, “Enterosgel”, “Enterosorb”.

Important! You cannot give drugs to a person in case of poisoning if he is in an unconscious or inadequate state, so that he does not choke on them.

5. Drink. For a strengthening and cleansing effect on the body, after the above procedures you can give the patient a drink sweet tea with , coffee or milk.

6. To relieve symptoms hangover or alcohol poisoning can be taken the following means: “Biotredin”, “Limontar”, “Metadoxil”, “Alka-Seltzer”.

7. In case of loss of consciousness. If the victim has lost consciousness, it is necessary to give him a sniff of ammonia and make sure that his tongue does not stick into the respiratory tract. In the absence of ammonia, you can rub ears, which will provoke blood flow to the head and help awaken the patient.

8. In case of cardiac arrest. In case of cardiac arrest, begin resuscitation actions - and. In this case, every second is worth its weight in gold.

Important! If the victim has lost consciousness or has a weak pulse, or the heart has stopped, call an ambulance immediately!

The most in an effective way prevention of alcohol poisoning is complete failure from alcoholic beverages, except for use as prescribed by a doctor. Other methods of prevention include:

- do not drink alcohol on an empty stomach, eat before drinking and have a good snack;
- know your dose and don’t drink more;
- do not purchase alcoholic drinks in dubious places, so to speak “from under the counter”;
- if you see a familiar drink at a super discount in a store, think twice, perhaps it’s a palenka that they want to get rid of quickly;
- Don’t drink alcohol with soda;
— when drinking alcohol, do not reduce the strength of the drink;
- Do not combine alcohol with smoking.

Who shouldn't drink at all?

Tragic consequences can occur if a person drinks alcohol following cases:

- pregnancy, as well as 90 days before planning a pregnancy;
- when taking medications;
- during rehabilitation after treatment for alcohol addiction;
- for allergy sufferers;
- children, as well as persons under 21 years of age, because At this time, the formation of the body is still taking place.

And remember, share food poisoning, which end in death, occurs in more than 50% of cases.

How did you, dear readers, manage to overcome alcohol poisoning?

Tags: alcohol poisoning symptoms, alcohol poisoning causes, what to do in case of alcohol poisoning, first aid for alcohol poisoning, remedies for alcohol poisoning, drinking in case of poisoning

Alcohol poisoning occurs in different ways in people. The severity of symptoms in this situation depends on many factors, which include the dose of ethanol taken, the quality of the alcohol product, the general condition of the human body, and so on. This is why the symptoms of alcohol poisoning may vary slightly from person to person. Bad feeling causes in an alcoholic a large number of unpleasant symptoms which can only be overcome by following the treatment prescribed by the doctor. Often, the first signs of alcohol poisoning subside when they start taking medications - this greatly facilitates the recovery process and normalizes the functioning of the body.

Why does alcohol poisoning occur?

Before treating alcohol poisoning at home, you need to understand why it occurs. Narcologists claim that the disease develops due to the ingestion of alcohol substitutes into the drunkard’s body, which have a negative effect on him and cause signs of poisoning. Such surrogates include:

• butyl alcohol;
• varnish;
• denatured alcohol;
• alyl alcohol.

At constant reception alcohol for several days, surrogates quickly cause kidney failure and problems with liver function, leading to fatal outcome drunkards.

However, not only surrogates can become the main toxic substance - low-quality alcohol or too strong strong drinks can also cause intoxication of the body. For example, ethyl alcohol is found in all alcohol products, as well as colognes, medicines and perfumes. If a person drinks a small bottle of cologne, he will definitely get poisoned, since there are surrogates in it huge quantities. There are, of course, fewer of them in alcohol, but if a drunkard drinks it constantly, poisoning will overtake the patient quite quickly.

By paying attention to the symptoms of alcohol poisoning, you can take timely measures to eliminate them and quickly remove dangerous substitutes from the body. But, unfortunately, not all alcoholics have a “positive” attitude towards the health of their body, and also want to undergo treatment medicines against alcoholism. As a result, intoxication does not go away for a long time, which leads to irreversible consequences and causes a large number of dangerous diseases.

To avoid developing alcohol poisoning, the symptoms of which cause serious harm to human health, you should not take methyl alcohol is a poison that is used only in chemical industry, but the smell is very similar to ethyl alcohol. However, if you drink the ethyl version in large quantities, it can gradually “saturate” the body with toxic metabolites that appear as a result of the breakdown of alcohol. Therefore, narcologists always advise drinking in moderation so as not to cause health-threatening diseases, the treatment of which is not always positive and effective for health.

Symptoms and signs of alcohol poisoning

In case of alcohol poisoning, which a person has drunk in large quantities, the symptoms of the disease manifest themselves quite quickly. In this case, they resemble signs of the development of intoxication. The danger of such symptoms is that they occur covertly on the first day of the development of poisoning, and this significantly complicates diagnosis and timely provision of first aid.

What signs of alcohol poisoning can a patient notice?

The main ones include excitement of the body, euphoria from drinking alcohol, and loss of coordination.

But, unfortunately, all of them do not cause anxiety in an alcoholic, since he this moment fun because good mood from drinking alcohol always accompanies the ritual of drinking alcohol. Over time, in the absence of treatment for alcohol poisoning, a person develops a craving for strong drinks, which the drunkard cannot overcome on his own. Then the above symptoms of poisoning also include:

• abdominal pain;
• temporal pain;
• long lasting vomiting;
• blurred vision;
• the appearance of flies and black dots before the eyes.

If after this the victim was given first aid and he no longer took alcohol, these manifestations of alcohol poisoning will disappear after 2-6 days. If the disease is acute, it is better to treat in a hospital, since it is quite difficult to overcome the signs of the disease at home.

If during treatment of poisoning a person drinks strong drinks again, the symptoms of the disease will worsen significantly and will last for 7-12 days. Then the disease will also be characterized by drowsiness, long-term blurred vision and stupor of the patient. 6-8 hours after the development of the pathology, the drunkard will notice extreme thirst, pain in the legs, the appearance of cyanosis on the skin and mucous membrane, gray or white coating on the tongue. Also additional signs alcohol poisoning, which does not always manifest itself in the patient, are considered:

• increase or jumps in blood pressure;
• increased heart rate;
• convulsions;
• disturbance of consciousness;

If first aid is not carried out to the patient even after these signs, death may occur due to paralysis of the respiratory system or impaired functioning of the heart and blood vessels.

What are the first signs of alcohol intoxication in an alcoholic?

Of course, it is better to fight intoxication with initial stage its development, while the patient has not yet experienced a persistent formation of mental and physical dependence, as well as metabolic syndrome, gastroenteritis and acidosis. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the symptoms of alcohol poisoning so that the substitutes found in alcoholic beverages do not cause the following complications:

• hepatic colic;
• increase in bilirubin;
• the appearance of jaundice;
• disruption of the functioning of the heart chambers;
• eye sclera.

You will be able to notice these symptoms very quickly, since they cause pain and other discomfort. But you should not try to overcome them yourself at home, as this will only worsen your health condition and aggravate their course.

The first signs of poisoning are:

• frequent hiccups after drinking alcohol;
• hemorrhages on the mucous membrane and skin;
• transaminases (the first damage to the pancreas by alcohol surrogates);
• pancreatitis, more precisely, its onset of development in the body, characterized by pain and pain in the upper abdomen;
• – it manifests itself already at the beginning of poisoning of the body and is characterized by impaired consciousness, loss of coordination and lack of normal and sensible dialogue;
• deterioration brain activity– this occurs due to the fact that large amounts of creatinine, urea and other types of metabolites accumulate in the organs and systems of the body.

The sooner the patient notices the symptoms and begins treatment for the disease at home, the faster the body will recover, and the likelihood of developing pathological processes occurring in the internal organs will decrease.

If a person has been poisoned “minorly” and has only some signs of intoxication, a visit to the doctor is still necessary, since the following manifestations of the disease can overtake the victim within a few days.

Is it worth treating intoxication at home or is it better to trust doctors and be treated for poisoning in a hospital? If the disease is severe or moderate in severity, it is better to carry out therapy in hospital conditions, since a person can get worse at any moment and need help - and at home they will not be able to provide it efficiently. In addition, at home, it is not always possible to find the medications and IV solutions necessary for the patient, which will help normalize the general state of health.

Complications caused by untreated alcohol poisoning

With the active action of surrogates in the body of an alcoholic, he will face many complications, which cannot always be cured quickly and effectively. Such complications are:

• development of stroke - if the patient does not receive proper medical care at home, death may occur;
• uncontrolled bowel movements;
• uremic coma;
• involuntary (independent) urination;
• poisoning with morphine derivatives, which significantly worsens the course of intoxication.

These complications manifest themselves especially often if a person is treating a moderate or severe illness at home, rather than in a hospital setting.

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Alcohol poisoning in Russia occupies a leading position among household poisonings. Alcohol accounts for more than 60% of all fatal poisoning. Most of deaths(95%-98%) occurs before rendering medical care. How to recognize alcohol poisoning, and what measures should be taken to avoid tragic consequences?

Ethanol(ethyl or wine alcohol) - a chemical substance of moderate toxic activity, colorless, volatile, flammable. Mixes with water in any quantity, easily dissolves in fats. It spreads quickly throughout the body and easily penetrates biological membranes.

Interesting facts about alcohol

• Ethanol natural substance for our body. Normally, ethanol is formed during metabolism various substances, as well as during fermentation in the intestines. However, its concentration is minimal (0.003 g/l) and does not pose a health threat.
• 20% of ethanol taken is absorbed in the stomach, the remaining 80% is absorbed into small intestine.
• On empty stomach In 15 minutes, half the dose of ethanol taken is absorbed into the blood. On average, after 1 hour 30 minutes the maximum concentration of ethanol is observed in the blood.
• Strong (more than 30 degrees) and carbonated alcoholic drinks are absorbed into the blood most quickly.
• The rate of ethanol absorption increases with repeated doses and in case of stomach diseases (gastritis, peptic ulcer).
• Food in the stomach reduces the rate of ethanol absorption. In this regard, drinking alcoholic beverages on a full stomach is one of the preventions of alcohol poisoning. As a rule, immediate consumption of 0.5 liters of vodka by adults will cause alcohol poisoning. However, the same amount of vodka drunk during the day will only maintain a state of intoxication.
• Having a good ability to dissolve in fats, ethanol easily penetrates the body through the skin. Fatal cases of poisoning of children when using alcoholic plant extracts for compresses and wraps have been described.
• Ethanol easily penetrates the placental barrier and spreads throughout the fetal body. The toxic effect of alcohol on the fetus is much stronger than on the mother's body.
• Average lethal dose alcohol is 300 ml of 96% ethanol for a single dose.
• Ethanol is excreted from the body in three main ways: 1) 2-4% of ethanol is excreted through the kidneys, 2) 3-7% is excreted through the lungs, 3) up to 90-95% of ethanol is processed in the liver, where it is ultimately broken down to carbon dioxide and water.

What are the symptoms and signs of alcohol poisoning?

The first signs of alcohol poisoning

The first symptoms of alcohol poisoning and the mechanisms of their occurrence

Severe alcohol poisoning

What determines the severity of alcohol poisoning?

Poisoning with alcohol substitutes

Alcohol substitutes

• Colognes, lotions, various medicinal tinctures(hawthorn, motherwort, etc.)
• Technical fluids (brake fluid, antifreeze, windshield wipers, etc.)
• Methyl alcohol and ethylene glycol are the most dangerous surrogates.

Methyl alcohol poisoning

Ethylene glycol poisoning

What to do in case of alcohol poisoning?

First aid for alcohol poisoning

What to do?		How?	For what?
Ensure airway patency		Take out your tongue if it gets stuck Clean your mouth If possible, use a rubber bulb to remove the contents oral cavity(mucus, saliva, vomit residues) In case of excessive salivation, administer 1.0-0.1% atropine intravenously	Ensure adequate oxygen supply. Prevent blockage of the upper respiratory tract.
Position the patient correctly and fix the tongue		The patient should be placed on his side Press your tongue to prevent it from sticking in (you can press your tongue with a spoon or your finger; it is better to wrap a napkin or handkerchief around your finger so that the tongue does not slip out)	To prevent vomit from entering the respiratory tract. Recession of the tongue is a common cause of death in an unconscious state.
In case of cardiac and respiratory arrest, perform indirect cardiac massage and artificial respiration		2 breaths and 30 presses chest constitute one cycle of resuscitation actions. Repeat until breathing and heartbeat appear or until the ambulance arrives. It’s better to do it in pairs, alternating so that the presses are effective.	The method is able to restart cardiac and respiratory activity or support vital organs until specialized help arrives.
Bring to consciousness if the patient is unconscious		Bring a cotton swab with ammonia to a distance of 1 cm from the nose	Ammonia has an awakening effect, stimulates breathing.
Induce vomiting (if the patient is conscious!)		Drink 1-3 glasses of salt solution (1 teaspoon per 1 glass of warm water) Take the remedy vomiting(ipecac root), 2 tsp per glass of water.	The procedure is effective, for the first time hours after drinking alcohol. Since complete absorption of ethanol from digestive tract into the blood for 40-90 minutes (on an empty stomach). Vomiting is contraindicated when the patient is unconscious or in a serious condition. Since there is a high risk of vomit entering the respiratory tract, which can lead to severe consequences up to and including death.
Perform gastric lavage		If possible, perform gastric lavage through a tube Drink as much water as possible, then press on the root of the tongue to induce vomiting. Repeat until the vomit is clear. (Water can be salted for 1 liter 1 tsp.)	The method is effective only during the first hours of poisoning. Within 1-2 hours, most of the ethanol is absorbed into the blood. After 2-3 hours from the moment of drinking alcohol, gastric lavage is ineffective.
Warm the patient		Place in a warm room, wrap in a blanket, dress, etc.	Alcohol causes dilatation of peripheral blood vessels, which is accompanied by great loss heat.
Accept adsorbent(a substance capable of absorbing various types of toxins) Activated carbon white coal, polysorb, entorosgel, etc.		White coal: 3-4 tablets, up to 3-4 times a day Enterosgel: 6 tablespoons, once. Polysorb: Adults: 2-3 tablespoons, place in ¼-½ glass of water. Activated carbon: 1 gram per 10 kg of patient weight, 1 tablet. =0.25 gr. On average 30-40 tablets. appointment. For greater effectiveness, the tablets should be crushed into powder and diluted in 100-200 ml of water. Average daily dose 20-30 gr., 80-120 tab.	Adsorbents are most effective during the first hours of poisoning. Alcohol that has not yet been absorbed into the blood is bound and removed from the body.
Take substances that accelerate the neutralization and removal of ethanol from the body		Metadoxyl dose 300-600 mg (5-10 ml), intramuscularly; Or add 300-900 mg of metadoxyl to 500 ml of saline solution or 5% glucose solution and administer intravenously over 90 minutes. Vitamins + Glucose Traditionally mixed in one syringe: 1) vit. B1 (thiamine) 2ml-5%; 2)vit. B6 (pyridoxine) 3 ml-5%; 3)vit.C ( ascorbic acid) 5-10ml-5%; 4)10-20 ml 40% glucose Administer intravenously. Bee honey 100-200 grams in 2-3 doses (honey contains a large amount of fructose)	Metadoxil is a drug created specifically for the treatment of alcohol intoxication. Increases the activity of enzymes responsible for ethanol utilization. Thereby speeds up the processes of processing and removal of ethanol. Restores liver cells. Improves mental condition sick. Do not use in cases of poisoning with surrogates (methanol, ethylene glycol), in which case their toxic effect will only increase. Vitamins, glucose, fructose, improve metabolic processes, accelerate the processes of neutralization and elimination of ethanol. Thiamine reduces the risk of alcoholic psychosis.
Restore water-mineral balance		Droppers: Sodium bicarbonate 4% -400 ml Hemodez 400 ml Quartosol, acesol 500 ml Drink up: Brine (cucumber, cabbage) Mineral water(0.5-1.5 l)	Solutions improve circulation through blood vessels, restore necessary water and mineral balance. Neutralizes and removes toxins from the blood.
Accept Hepatoprotectors		Ademetionine (heptral) 2-4 tablets per day for 2 weeks, 1 tablet = 400 mg Essentiale 1-2 capsules 3 times a day, course from 3 to 6 months. 1 capsule = 300 mg	Restore damaged liver cells, improve their function, accelerate the processes of ethanol neutralization.
In case of poisoning methyl alcohol or ethylene glycol drink ethyl alcohol		For the first time during poisoning hours, drink high-quality strong alcohol: 200 ml cognac, whiskey, vodka 40-50 ml vodka 40 degrees. every 3 hours 4-methylpyrazole, 10 mg per 1 kg of body weight, together with aqueous solution ethanol 200 ml orally, every 3-4 hours	Ethanol acts as an antidote, it stops the breakdown of methyl alcohol into toxic substances (formic acid and formaldehyde). 4-methylpyrazole (pyrosole, fomepizole) – the newest antidote in case of poisoning with methyl alcohol and ethylene glycol. The drug reduces the activity of the liver enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase), thereby interrupting the formation of toxic substances from the above alcohols.

What should you not do if you have alcohol poisoning?

• Lay the patient on his back, there is a high risk that he will choke on vomit
• Give alcohol again only if it is not poisoning with methyl alcohol or ethylene glycol
• Take a cold shower. With alcohol poisoning, thermoregulation processes are disrupted, and the body already suffers from heat loss. A cold shower can only make the situation worse.
• Force the victim to get to his feet and walk. At the time of poisoning, all organs and systems are working in extreme mode, and any additional stress can lead to damage.
• Do not leave the patient alone. For example: the victim may lose consciousness at any moment and suffocate if the tongue becomes retracted.
• Do not induce vomiting, do not perform gastric lavage if the patient is unconscious (at home). High risk of getting hit gastric juice into the respiratory tract and the development of acute respiratory failure.

Complications of alcohol poisoning

• Acute toxic hepatitis
• Acute liver failure
• Alcohol delirium (" delirium tremens"), delirium, hallucinations
• Mendelssohn syndrome(Mendelssohn's syndrome - serious condition, in which acute respiratory failure develops due to gastric juice entering the respiratory tract). With alcohol poisoning, the syndrome often develops when vomit enters the respiratory tract.

Prevention of alcohol poisoning

• Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach
• Do not drink alcohol in large doses
• Do not drink alcohol if you have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, overwork, or lack of nutrition.
• Do not drink alcohol while taking medications (antidepressants, sleeping pills, painkillers, etc.)
• Eat a big meal before drinking alcohol
• Snack after drinking alcohol
• Try not to combine different alcoholic drinks
• Try to take alcoholic drinks in increasing degrees
• Do not drink low-quality alcoholic beverages
• The best prevention- DO NOT drink at all!