How To Help A Drunk Person?
Alcohol is the most widely used psychoactive or mood-changing recreational substance. There is a large spectrum of alcohol use and associated problems in the US. Supporting those with alcohol use problems, whether it be alcohol dependence or alcoholism, risky alcohol behavior, injury from alcohol, alcohol-induced psychosis, or alcohol poisoning, has obvious benefits. These benefits extend beyond the individual to their families, workplaces, and society.
Knowing how to care for a drunk person can sometimes be the difference between life and death for that individual. When someone drinks too much alcohol, they’re at risk of injuring themselves or others, surrendering to possible alcohol poisoning, or potentially choking on their vomit in their sleep. To properly take care of a drunk person, you need to identify the alcohol poisoning symptoms, ensure the safety of that person, and take the correct steps to help them sober up the right way.
The general public must know how to recognize a person suffering from alcohol intoxication and how to help them if the situation arises.
The long-term complications of alcohol abuse can be irreversible and deadly. Furthermore, alcohol dependence can lead to alcohol withdrawal symptoms and complications.
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Hotline (877) 378-41545 Key Tips On How To Help A Drunk Person Feel Better In The Best Possible Way
1. Make sure they stop drinking.
What to do when someone is drunk? The first thing you need to do is to ensure that you keep them from drinking. It is quite difficult for a person to convince another drunken person that consuming more is bad for them, so you need to use some tricks.
Make sure you talk with the barman or the waiter to stop giving them alcohol. If you are at a party, tell them you will make the drinks for them. When you make a drink, you should use a small amount of alcohol or no alcohol. A severely drunk person will not tell the difference between a beverage with alcohol and one without alcohol.
2. Keep them in a proper position.
It is very important to stop drunk people from sitting on their stomachs or back. There is a high risk they will vomit and choke. How to get a drunk person to sleep? Do not let them sleep alone because many people have died in their sleep while they are drunk.
3. Make sure they don’t engage in risky behavior.
You should keep the drunken person from driving a car, fighting with others, hurting themselves, etc. A drunken person can engage in such behaviors, so be cautious. Also, ensure you don’t hurt yourself while caring for them.
4. Keep them hydrated and take care of their emotional state.
Make sure that you keep them hydrated. Water helps eliminate alcohol faster. Also, when people drink a lot, they usually drink for a reason, so being there for them while they tell you their problems will help. Find out more about how to sober up fast.
5. Take them to the emergency room.
If the person you care for stops breathing, hurts or passes out, you should take them to the emergency room. Also, if the person who drank too much has illnesses that can put their lives in danger when consuming alcohol, like diabetes or heart problems, don’t waste time and rush them to the hospital.
Searching “how to take care of drunk person?” If you follow the rules above, you might save someone’s life. Also, after the person recovers, you should confront them about their drinking. If this wasn’t the first time they got severely drunk, you might suggest to them that they have a drinking problem.
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FREE Addiction Hotline – Call 24/7Understanding Alcohol Abuse
Without fully understanding alcohol abuse and alcoholism, it can be hard to talk about it with your loved one who’s struggling, especially if you’re married to an alcoholic. The question is, “when are you considered an alcoholic?” According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) [1], alcohol use disorder (AUD) is when one can no longer control their use of alcohol, compulsively abuse it despite its negative consequences, and experience emotional distress when they are not drinking.
Alcohol use disorder is a chronic, relapsing disease diagnosed based on an individual meeting certain criteria outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). However, there is no one-size-fits-all in understanding alcohol use disorder. It is a complex and multifaceted disease, so while someone may inherit a predisposition to it, genes do not fully determine a person’s outcome.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) also explains that alcohol use disorder is a disease. It is an involuntary disability. This means that although individuals choose to drink initially, it may be out of their control to quit once they become addicted. In addition, as the disease progresses, negative physical effects of alcohol and emotional, social changes are experienced, such as marital problems, changes in mood, alcohol withdrawal, health issues, or job loss.
Stages Of Being Drunk – Levels Of Alcohol Intoxication
What does it mean to be drunk? When you drink alcohol, it enters the bloodstream and begins affecting your body and mind quickly. Drinking alcohol can cause someone to become drunk. Ethanol is the active ingredient of all alcoholic beverages. It is a toxin that affects the human body and can be good or bad, depending on how much you ingest.
Ethanol is absorbed into the bloodstream through your stomach and intestines and then spreads all over the body in your bloodstream, making its way toward your brain. Ethanol decreases glutamate’s effects, making your brain sharp and attentive. Glutamate is also responsible for alertness, reaction time, and memory.
When ethanol kicks glutamate in the gut, it will reverse affect the human body. Slurred speech, slow reaction, subdued coordination, and a woozy feeling. It can also impair decision-making abilities which is one reason you might think it’s a good idea to order another round.
There are different stages of drunkenness. The effects of alcohol intake will vary depending on several individual factors, but they highly depend on the amount of alcohol consumed. Depending on the blood alcohol content (BAC), the effects can be very mild or can result in death. Blood alcohol content (BAC) measures the level of alcohol in your system. The higher your BAC, the more you will feel the effects of the alcohol you have ingested.
Sober
The first stage of being drunk is known as subclinical intoxication or is commonly known as being sober. It occurs when someone has consumed a small amount of alcohol and does not appear intoxicated. This level usually happens at a BAC of 0.01 to 0.05 and occurs with one drink or less per hour for most individuals.
Euphoric
The second stage or level of intoxication is euphoric and occurs at a BAC of 0.03 to 0.12. Usually, this stage occurs with three drinks per hour for men and one to two drinks per hour for women. It is commonly referred to as being tipsy.
Excitement
The excitement stage is the blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.09 to 0.25. At this level, someone may lose emotional stability and start slurring their speech. Other people will notice that the person is drunk. The stage typically occurs in men after three to five drinks per hour and women after two to four drinks per hour.
Confusion
This stage of intoxication occurs when a person reaches a BAC of 0.18 to 0.30. For most men, this stage occurs when they’ve drunk more than five drinks per hour. and for women, more than our drinks per hour. A person may experience an alcohol blackout at this stage. People at this stage will likely also have their balance and coordination impaired enough to result in staggering and inability to stand.
Stupor
How to help a drunk person and what is alcohol poisoning? The stupor stage happens when a person reaches a BAC of 0.25 to 0.40. At this stage, people are at an increased risk of alcohol poisoning. The gag reflex may stop working properly, and it may be possible to choke on vomit. They are also at risk for respiratory depression, so medical attention is needed.
Coma
When a person’s BAC reaches 0.35 to 0.50, there is a high chance of coma. The person may be completely unconscious with no reaction to their surroundings. A person will likely experience a body temperature drop, poor blood circulation, possible respiratory depression, and possible death.
Death
The risk of death significantly increases when someone’s BAC surpasses 0.45. At this stage, the body may be unable to maintain vital functions like breathing. Respiratory depression is a likely cause of death. However, remember that death is still possible at an earlier stage and with other BAC figures.
Signs Of A Drunk Person
How long is someone drunk for? It varies. The amount of liquor that each person consumes before becoming unduly intoxicated varies. The signs of intoxication may be influenced by the following:
- Gender
- Age
- Size
- Health
- State of mind
- Rate of drinking
- Food consumed
- Medication
- Frequency of drinking
What does it mean when someone drunk calls you? Can you tell if someone is being rational after a drink? When assessing if someone is unduly intoxicated, you may consider the following indicators, but this is not a definitive list.
Speech
- Incoherent or muddled speech
- Loss of train of thought
- Rambling or unintelligible conversation
- Slurring words
Coordination
- Difficulty counting or paying money and fumbling change
- Difficulty opening or closing doors
- Dropping drinks
- Inability to find a mouth with a glass
- Spilling drinks
Balance
- Bumping into or knocking over furniture or people
- Falling or cannot stand
- Difficulty walking straight
- Staggering or stumbling
- Swaying uncontrollably
- Unsteady on feet
Behavior
- Aggressive
- Annoying/pestering others
- Argumentative
- Bad-tempered
- Belligerent
- Confused
- Difficulty paying attention
- Disorderly
- Drowsiness or sleeping at a bar/table
- Exuberant
- Inappropriate sexual advances
- Loss of inhibition
- Loud/boisterous
- Not understanding normal conversation
- Offensive, including the use of offensive language
- Overly friendly
- Physically violent
- Rude
- Vomiting
How To Deal With A Drunk Person?
How to help a drunk person? Here are seven suggestions on how you can stay safe when dealing with a drunk person:
- Stay calm and approach them in a non-aggressive stance, with open, empty hands, in a friendly, nonauthoritative manner.
- Try not to tell them what to do, but offer them choices and make your movements nice and slow
- If you have questions to ask drunk people, be confident yet non-threatening with them and show genuine concern for their well-being.
- Find their sober friends; they will respond to them and can often calm them down rather than someone they do not know.
- Engage with them and ask them questions about themselves; if a commotion did start, keep them occupied and distracted.
- Minimize the risks; if your working day means you could become involved with an inebriated person, ask your employer for staff training and practice scenarios on dealing with aggressive or vulnerable people.
- Always be prepared to leave the situation. If the intoxicated person has begun to lose control, walk away. Your safety is a priority. Take positive action to remove yourself from the situation and call for support and backup.
How To Make A Drunk Person Feel Better?
Don’t become irritated with your friend. Remember that someone’s judgment may be impacted if they have too much alcohol. Get them some water and a soft drink, or perhaps place a meal order. They will cease drinking, and as a result, it will let their systems have time to absorb the alcohol.
How To Calm Down A Drunk Person?
How to help someone drunk? The first rule to understand when dealing with a drunk person is that they are not rational. They may seem very confident in their ideas or actions, but they are not thinking straight, and this can lead to dangerous situations where they do things like drive while intoxicated.
Aggressive behavior, violence, and even death have resulted from simply dealing with drunk people. Even if you know them well, it’s difficult to predict what intoxicated people will do because alcohol changes their personalities and reduces inhibitions. Addiction is a tricky disease, so please seek professional help to get your loved one to start alcoholism treatment, hopefully.
How To Make A Drunk Person Sleep?
When someone is drunk, they may not be able to stay awake. To make a drunk person fall asleep, you can try to relax by talking to them, singing, or playing music. You can also try to get them to sleep by putting them to bed early or giving them a bedtime story. Remember that putting a drunk person to sleep doesn’t automatically remove undigested alcohol from their system. Their body still needs to process it and break it down.
Never leave an intoxicated person alone to ‘sleep it off.’ Blood alcohol content can continue to rise after a person stops drinking, and the person can choke, slip into a coma, stop breathing or die.
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Alcohol Overdose and the Bacchus Maneuver
How to help a drunk person to avoid an overdose? If the person is unconscious (“drunk passed out person”), semi-conscious, or unresponsive, check for these symptoms of alcohol or drug overdose:
- They cannot be roused and are unresponsive to your voice, shaking or pinching their skin.
- Skin is cold, clammy, pale, bluish, and/or blotchy.
- Breathing is slow – eight or fewer breaths per minute.
- Experience lapses in breathing – more than 10 seconds between breaths.
- Have seizures, convulsions, or rigid spasms.
- Vomit while asleep or unconscious and do not awaken.
If any of these symptoms of alcohol overdose exist, call 911 for help, and stay with them while waiting for emergency personnel:
- Gently turn them onto their side and into the Bacchus Maneuver position.
- Don’t leave them alone anytime, and be prepared to administer CPR.
- Remember that there is a chance that a person who has passed out may not ever regain consciousness, and there is a serious risk that death could occur.
How to take care of a drunk person if they are conscious and responsive:
- Check often to make sure they are still conscious and responsive.
- Make certain that they stay on their side, not their back. Gently turn them onto their side and into the Bacchus Maneuver position.
- Before you touch them, tell them exactly what you will do. Be aware of any signs of aggression. Do not ridicule, judge, threaten or try to counsel them.
- Remain calm and be firm. Avoid communicating feelings of anxiety or anger.
- Keep them quiet and comfortable. If they are in the sun, move them to the shade. If cold, move them to a warm place and offer a blanket.
- Don’t give them food, drink, or medication of any kind.
- Remember that only time will sober up a drunk person. Walking, showering, or drinking coffee will not help and may cause harm.
What can happen if an alcohol overdose goes untreated?
- A person could choke on their vomit.
- Breathing may slow down, become irregular, and stop.
- The heart may beat irregularly and stop.
- Hypothermia (low body temperature).
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can lead to seizures.
- Severe dehydration from vomiting can cause seizures, permanent brain damage, or death.
How to help someone that’s drunk? Seek medical help for a friend who has had too much to drink. Your friend may become upset if you call 911, but it’s better to have your friend alive and upset than to lose them.
Responding to Alcohol Overdose
Whether someone is conscious or unconscious, first perform the Bacchus Maneuver.
If someone passes out from drinking too much, you can help by positioning them so they will not choke on their vomit. If you are worried about them, get medical attention, especially if you can’t awaken them to the point that they can talk to you.
Whether someone is conscious or unconscious, first perform the Bacchus Maneuver.
What to do when someone is really drunk? If someone passes out from drinking too much, you can help by positioning them so they will not choke on their vomit. If you are worried about them, get medical attention, especially if you can’t awaken them to the point that they can talk to you.
How To Help A Drunk Person With The Bacchus Maneuver
- Raise the arm that is closest to you above their head. Prepare to roll them towards you.
- Gently roll them toward you, guarding their head against hitting the floor. The head should rest in front of the arm, not on it.
- Tilt the head up to maintain the airway. Tuck their nearest hand under the cheek to help maintain head tilt and raise the face off the floor.
- Check on them often.
How Can I Tell if my Friend Needs Help?
How to help a drunk person feel better? Your friend may need your help if they:
- Can’t talk properly and have glazed eyes
- Are acting strangely and doing stuff they wouldn’t normally do
- Are vomiting
- Are you falling over or running into things, or can’t walk straight
- If they have passed out.
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Alcohol Treatment
How to help a drunk person and help them get sober for good? Looking for “drunk treatment” or “treatment for drunk person?” Regardless of their level of alcohol misuse and whether they’re in denial, seeking the guidance of addiction treatment professionals can help you better understand the early signs of alcoholism, how treatment works, and what that may look like for your loved one.
If they remain in denial and aren’t ready to seek alcohol addiction help, it may be time to consider intervention services. An intervention is a process that typically involves a drug and alcohol counselor, physician, or intervention specialist along with family and friends.
How to detox a drunk person? Call an addiction specialist immediately. They can assist you or a loved one with what is the best thing to do first. Treatment may involve medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to ease withdrawal symptoms, therapy through a rehabilitation program to understand the addiction and change behaviors, and long-term aftercare programming such as peer support groups to help maintain sobriety and avoid relapse.
Knowing how to help a drunk person, especially if he or she is a loved one, is vital. and can save their life. If you suspect that you or someone you care about has alcoholism, it may be time to seek “drunk therapy” or professional alcohol addiction help. Research has shown that inpatient rehabilitation treatment can be very effective in helping individuals maintain a life of sobriety. We Level Up NJ provides proper care with round-the-clock medical staff to assist your recovery.
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FAQs
When is it safe to let a drunk person sleep?
It is recommended that alcohol not be consumed in the last four hours before bedtime.
What to do when someones drunk?
Give them water if they can drink it. if they have passed out, lie to them on their side in recovery and check their breathing properly. keep them warm. stay with them.
How to talk to a drunk person?
Be confident yet non-threatening with them and show genuine concern for their well-being.
How to calm down a drunk person?
You should first let the person know what they’re doing and how it’s affecting other people. Stay calm and approach them in a non-aggressive stance, with open, empty hands in a friendly, non authoritative manner.
How to care for a drunk person?
Be there for them. The most important thing to do when a friend is seriously drunk is to stay with them.
When to take a drunk person to the hospital?
If the person cannot breathe, has a seizure, or cannot be woken up, call 911 and request an ambulance.
How should a drunk person sleep?
Give your body time to process the alcohol. It’s hard to say exactly how long it takes your body to metabolize alcohol, but the general rule of thumb is 1 hour for a standard drink.
What to do with someone who is passed out drunk?
If you’re trying to wake up someone who’s passed out and they’re not responding, call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away.
How to help someone who is drunk and throwing up?
Stay with them and monitor them closely, keep them as upright as possible, and never lay them down. Give them a plastic bucket or bowl, and make sure they are somewhere safe where they can be watched. Get them to rinse their mouth out regularly and keep them warm.
Search for How To Help A Drunk Person & Other Resources
Sources:
[1] Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder – https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
[2] Nehring SM, Freeman AM. Alcohol Use Disorder. [Updated 2022 Apr 14]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436003/
[3] Advances in the science and treatment of alcohol use disorder – https://irp.drugabuse.gov/reviews-to-read-march-2020/ – National Institute on Drug Abuse
[4] Drug and Alcohol Use – https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/drug-and-alcohol-use – Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
[5] Alcohol Detox & Addiction Treatment – https://leveluplakeworth.com/alcohol-detox/ – We Level Up