Intoxication due to alcohol poisoning at home. What to do if you have severe vomiting

Note:These medications should be taken only in strict accordance with the instructions; the poisoned person must be given the exact dosage according to his weight and age.

Basically, that's where it ends. But even if a person fully rests and gets quality sleep, he will need to support the body and help it recover from the ingestion of toxins. Folk remedies will come to the rescue.

Folk remedies for alcohol poisoning

It must be remembered that folk remedies for alcohol poisoning are appropriate if a person has slept, has fully come to his senses, is conscious, but complains of feeling unwell (a consequence of intoxication). In this case, you can use one of the following remedies:

Well, besides this, for several centuries, brine has been considered the first remedy for alcohol poisoning. Any will do, but sauerkraut brine has a great effect.

Medicines for alcohol poisoning

Some symptomatic medications can reduce the effect of toxins on the body and improve well-being after alcohol poisoning.

Biotredin

These tablets accelerate metabolic processes in the body, normalize and stabilize redox reactions in cells, relieve emotional stress and improve mental performance. Such actions provide a quick improvement in well-being and the removal of toxins from the body. The effect can be observed within 10-20 minutes after taking Biotredin.

Zorex

You need to drink this remedy twice a day. Zorex tablets accelerate the breakdown of alcohol and promote the rapid removal of toxins from the liver.

Limontar

These tablets are great for coping with the symptoms of severe alcohol poisoning. Limontar not only weakens the effect of toxins, but also improves metabolic processes in tissues and enhances the secretion of gastric juice.

You need to take this drug 4 times a day, 1-2 tablets per dose. The tablets are crushed and dissolved in water with a small amount of baking soda.

Alka-Seltzer

This is a special drug that eliminates alcohol poisoning, makes the effect of toxins practically insignificant and improves overall well-being.

note: Despite the variety of medications that are designed to alleviate the condition of alcohol poisoning, doctors recommend giving preference to activated carbon. After all, this particular drug belongs to the category of natural ones, and all of the above-mentioned tablets are chemical compounds that can negatively affect the functioning of the liver and kidneys.

You cannot relieve the symptoms of alcohol poisoning with alcoholic beverages - such a hangover will only worsen the situation: the body needs help, not additional toxins.

During sleep, the condition in question is tolerated much more easily, so a patient with alcohol poisoning needs more sleep. Naturally, this is allowed only if his stomach has already been cleansed, sorbents have been taken and the person’s condition does not cause concern.

You cannot suppress the urge to vomit. Moreover, if you feel nauseous, you must empty your stomach - this is how the human body heals itself. The more alcohol leaves the body, the less it will be in the blood, and the easier alcohol poisoning will occur.

While drinking alcohol, regularly look at your reflection in the mirror. As soon as redness of the face appears (this is the first sign of alcohol poisoning), you need to stop drinking alcohol, take a break from the feast and go out into the fresh air.

Alcohol poisoning is a serious “blow” to the body, so you need to fight it. Of course, ideally, you should stop drinking alcoholic beverages altogether, but in case of excessive alcohol consumption, you need to know the rules of first aid - in some cases, proper treatment of alcohol poisoning saves a person’s life.

Many of us have experienced alcohol poisoning through excessive drinking. When intoxicated, the body urgently needs our help. So what to do if you have alcohol poisoning? And is it possible to help the victim at home?

In small doses, ethanol is oxidized in the liver and does not cause significant harm to the human body. But after exceeding the permissible amount of ethanol, the liver cannot cope with the load, and gradual poisoning occurs or.

The main causes of alcohol intoxication are:

  1. Drinking a large amount of alcohol.
  2. Poor quality alcohol.

In the case of a large dose of alcohol, determining the severity of the poisoning yourself is not so difficult.

Separately, it is worth highlighting poisoning from low-quality alcohol. According to statistics, about 90% of victims of a surrogate do not make it to the hospital; they die on the road. Such intoxication is not accompanied by the main symptoms, therefore, before medical help arrives, the victim needs first aid for alcohol poisoning.

Main symptoms of poisoning:

  1. Dizziness.
  2. Nausea and vomiting.
  3. Rapid breathing.
  4. Cold sweat.

If a person is poisoned by surrogates, visual impairment and convulsions occur.

A hangover syndrome is also alcohol poisoning, only to a mild degree. Mild and moderate degrees of alcohol intoxication can be treated at home using medications and traditional methods.

If a person's condition is critical, they should seek medical help immediately. No home recipes or medications can save a person’s life.

What to do first?

Regardless of the severity of intoxication, first aid is required for alcohol poisoning.

First, thoroughly cleanse your stomach. Drink 2 - 3 glasses of water and induce vomiting, then repeat the action several times.

Secondly, if the poisoned person is unconscious, under no circumstances should you induce a gag reflex, the person may choke on the vomit. It is necessary to lay the victim on his side, free him from tight clothing and allow him to periodically sniff ammonia, call an ambulance.

Treatment of drug poisoning

If the degree of poisoning is mild, you can begin treatment at home.

What to do in case of alcohol poisoning? First of all, it is necessary to get rid of ethanol, normalize the water and salt balance, and restore the intestinal microflora. And only then neutralize the breakdown products of ethanol and relieve pain syndromes.

To get rid of ethanol, you need to drink enterosorbents.

These are well-known drugs:

These medications should be taken after cleansing the stomach. Their action is to envelop the intestinal walls and remove waste products from the body.

Important: sorbents neutralize not only harmful substances, but also medications. Therefore, the interval between taking enterosorbents and tablets should be 1.5 - 2 hours. Otherwise, the action of the tablets will be ineffective.

Everyone knows that alcohol is a strong diuretic, therefore, when drinking alcohol, and even more so when vomiting occurs, the body becomes dehydrated. If you are poisoned, you need to drink more regular fluids.

Pharmacies also have medical solutions that help with imbalances. In case of poisoning, you can take Regidron solution orally at the rate of 10 - 15 ml/1 kg. body weight. Analogues of this solution are Citraglucosolan and Hydrovit.

In addition, to restore balance, an oral solution can be made at home:

  • 1 liter of water;
  • 0.5 tsp. salt and 0.5 tsp. soda;
  • 4 tbsp. l. Sahara.

To completely remove ethanol and decay products from the body, you need to drink plenty of fluids, diuretics or herbal decoctions (linden blossom, parsley root, mint, horsetail, thyme). Herbal teas are the safest, and they also saturate our body with vitamins and antioxidants.

Also, in case of poisoning, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted. To restore intestinal microflora, you can drink fermented milk products or special medications.

Such probiotics include: Linex, Lactobacilli, Bifiform, Enterol, Bifidumbacterin, Baktisubtil.

In case of alcohol poisoning, you should not:

  1. Combine alcohol and the drug Furosemide. This combination has a detrimental effect on the liver and kidneys.
  2. In a state of intoxication, you should not take aspirin; complications may arise. The tablets can be taken after the onset of a hangover.
  3. Do not use sleeping pills under any circumstances.

Treatment of poisoning with folk remedies

If alcohol poisoning does not threaten a person’s health and life, you can use folk recipes to restore the body:


Such remedies can be easily prepared at home. They will not only help the body get rid of ethanol, but also provide useful substances, give strength and restore a healthy state.

If first aid for alcohol poisoning does not give results, the person does not get better, consult a doctor immediately. Perhaps the causes of poisoning are more serious, and these methods will only worsen the situation.

The doctor will conduct an examination and then prescribe the correct treatment. If necessary, in a hospital setting, IVs will be placed and the correct dosage of medications will be prescribed.

Diet after alcohol poisoning

After alcohol poisoning, you should also stick to a diet. Food should not create additional stress on the liver. Therefore, the basic principles of nutrition were drawn up:


In order not to ask the question of what to do in case of alcohol poisoning - observe the dose of alcohol, or better yet, lead a healthy and sporty lifestyle!

Each of us has some experience with alcohol - it just so happens that we celebrate all significant events at a generously set table with drinks. Little or much, but alcoholic drinks are always present in our lives. Relationships with alcohol will not cause trouble if you consider your own capabilities and drink wisely. Without knowing the measures, you can seriously harm your health, especially since the question “what to do in case of alcohol poisoning?” many of us ask ourselves after the poisoning has occurred. If a person has too many strong drinks, you need to act immediately. Let's find out how to help a victim of alcohol poisoning at home.

Alcohol poisoning: when does intoxication occur?

Drinking alcohol leads to intoxication - the nervous system at this time is in a special “floating” state from the psychoactive effects of ethanol. The good mood and feeling of euphoria that we look for at the bottom of a glass or shot glass are nothing more than the first signs of alcohol poisoning.

Even a few drops of alcohol affect the state of the body, and the more a person drinks, the more serious the consequences of intoxication will be. Alcoholic drinks vary in the strength of their effect on the nervous system. The most “harmless” is alcohol that contains no more than 15% ethanol: champagne, vermouth, wine and beer. But you shouldn’t get too carried away with strong drinks such as cognac, vodka, tequila, whiskey and gin. Absinthe is recognized as the strongest alcohol.

Alcohol poisoning: stages

The damage to the body by the components of alcohol occurs as follows: ethanol in the “happy” drink enters the stomach and is soon absorbed by the mucous membranes, through which it enters the blood. The liver will neutralize a certain portion of toxic substances, but the organ will not be able to completely neutralize a large proportion of alcohol, then the unprocessed poison penetrates into the brain tissue. It is at this stage that irreversible changes occur in the structure of neurons and the functions of internal organs.

Intoxication resulting from alcohol consumption is classified into several stages. The degree of poisoning can be accurately determined by laboratory testing based on the number of ppm in the blood. How intoxicated a person is can also be determined by the corresponding symptoms of alcohol poisoning.

Mild alcohol poisoning

For the sake of a pleasant feeling of slight intoxication, an alcoholic drink is, in fact, placed on the table. A couple of glasses of wine - and you are guaranteed an emotional uplift, slight excitement, as well as unmotivated bliss. In such a state, it is difficult to assess your real capabilities; rather, you want to inflate them. However, in reality, the number of errors in the work of a drunk person increases, and his mental and physical activity noticeably decreases. A mild degree of alcohol poisoning can be identified by dilated pupils and a slightly reddened face. The drinker sweats more and feels the need to empty the bladder more often.

In addition, a drunk person begins to raise his voice, all his statements become more categorical and uncompromising. He has difficulty expressing his thoughts coherently and concentrating. Sweeping movements, “floating” facial expressions, loss of control over hidden personality traits are also considered symptoms of mild intoxication. Usually a person comes to his senses quite quickly and easily.

Moderate degree of alcohol poisoning

Signs of moderate alcohol intoxication cause more serious concerns: a person’s coordination of movements is impaired, he “throws” from side to side, sees double, and loses intelligibility of speech. In this state, the drinker is not responsible for his words and actions. In general, the behavior of a drunk person is determined by his character - alcohol can cause excessive boastfulness, bravado, vulnerability, touchiness, scandalousness or aggression. Sobering up brings general weakness, excruciating headaches, severe thirst, nausea and vomiting.

Severe alcohol poisoning

When a drunken person's condition worsens, his statements become illegible and meaningless, and he himself ceases to understand anything. A flushed face, hot skin and low pain sensitivity complement the overall picture of severe intoxication of the body. While intoxicated, a person can be seriously injured and not feel it.

A severe degree of alcohol intoxication has dire consequences: a heavily intoxicated person has difficulty breathing and may experience cardiac arrest. When a portion of alcohol enters the body, which in terms of pure alcohol is equal to 300–400 g, acute alcohol poisoning occurs. This condition is extremely dangerous, its main symptoms are as follows:

  • convulsions;
  • breathing problems;
  • copious secretion of saliva;
  • redness of the whites of the eyes.

A person with acute alcohol intoxication requires emergency medical care.

Alcohol coma

Severe alcohol poisoning can be complicated by the stage at which the intoxicated person falls into a coma. A comatose state is a kind of stunning of the body that occurs when ethanol in the blood increases to 3%. The main symptom of approaching danger is deep fainting. In some cases, the victim’s behavior is characterized by slight motor agitation. An indicator of the deterioration of the well-being of a person who has had too much alcohol is his eyes:

  1. There is no reaction of the pupils to light, the corneal reflex does not work (the eyelids do not close if you carefully touch the cornea).
  2. There is nystagmus (movement of the eyeballs according to the principle of a pendulum).
  3. Constriction of the pupils can also indicate an approaching alcoholic coma. In some cases, the pupils either narrow or dilate. Sometimes you can observe a picture when at the same moment the pupils of the left and right eyes have different sizes.

Due to the recession of the tongue, penetration of vomit into the respiratory tract, excessive secretion of saliva and phlegm, the victim’s breathing becomes impaired: the person breathes unevenly and intermittently, sometimes wheezes, while his face acquires a bluish tint. Blood pressure in alcoholic coma is reduced, and the pulse is weak and thready. In this condition, involuntary release of urine and feces is often observed.

Poisoning with surrogate alcohol

Poisoning is caused not only by large doses of alcohol, but also by low-quality alcohol or its surrogates. Alcohol surrogates are liquids that are not intended for internal consumption, but are often used instead of alcoholic beverages (due to their lower cost). Drinking medicinal tinctures, colognes, lotions, denatured alcohol, moonshine, mash, “chat” and other dangerous liquids always ends in failure. The symptoms of intoxication will be somewhat different than with classic alcohol poisoning.

After taking a surrogate, a person practically does not get drunk, but if you know the symptoms of poisoning, you can notice them immediately:

  • noise in ears;
  • impaired vision and smell;
  • increased salivation;
  • abdominal pain.

If a person is not helped in time, he may die. Treatment for poisoning with surrogate alcohol is not carried out at home - as soon as there is suspicion of intoxication, you should immediately call an ambulance. If it is possible to deliver the victim to the hospital faster than the ambulance arrives, you should do just that. The sooner a patient is treated by qualified doctors, the greater his chances of survival.

First aid for alcohol poisoning

Without resorting to the services of doctors, you can cope with mild to moderate poisoning on your own. There are a number of measures that will help bring the injured person to his senses: rid his body of ethanol residues and neutralize decay products.

Gastric lavage for alcohol poisoning

No medications should be taken, since many drugs in combination with alcohol create an “explosive” mixture, which will only worsen the victim’s condition.

Give the intoxicated person 300–500 ml of water to drink. This is necessary in order to induce vomiting and thus rid the stomach of the contents. In most cases, you don’t even have to press on the root of the tongue with your fingers - vomiting opens on its own, as the body tries to independently expel what is poisoning it. You will have to provoke vomiting until clean water begins to come out of the stomach.

Important! You cannot force water in or induce vomiting if a person has lost consciousness. Instead, it is better to wait until the ambulance arrives. At this time, you need to turn the patient on his side, free him from tight clothes and try to bring him out of fainting: intensively massage his ears, sprinkle with water, bring ammonia to his nose.

In cases where uncontrollable vomiting persists even after complete emptying of the stomach, the following techniques will help to cope with its urges:

  • hold your head under running cold water or apply ice to the back of your head;
  • take an anti-vomiting medicine (such as metoclopramide). If this does not have any effect, and the vomit is replaced by blood or bile, you need to take the victim to the hospital as soon as possible.

Restore fluid balance in the body in case of alcohol poisoning

The next step in helping with alcohol poisoning is to eliminate the lack of fluid in the body. Due to intoxication, the process of dehydration develops: ethanol causes a diuretic effect, and the liquid is excreted from the body with urine, as well as vomit. In especially severe cases, dehydration threatens a person’s life. Give the victim any liquid to drink. Mineral water or pure water with lemon juice is best. If a person is tormented by vomiting, pharmaceutical saline solutions such as Regidron and Gidrovit will help restore the balance of moisture in the body.

This remedy can also be prepared at home: dissolve 1 tsp in 1 liter of water at room temperature. table salt and soda, and then add 4 tbsp. l. Sahara. The victim should take the healing solution 2 to 3 sips every 30 minutes.

Treatment with sorbents and beneficial bacteria for alcohol poisoning

Help for alcohol poisoning at home is unthinkable without the use of sorbents. Medicines Polysorb (1 tbsp per 0.5 tbsp of water), Smecta (one-time 3 sachets per 1 tbsp of water), Enterosgel (50 g per 1 tbsp of water) will significantly improve the condition of a person suffering from alcohol intoxication. By the way, many people consider activated charcoal in case of alcohol poisoning to be almost the only remedy for eliminating poor health. In fact, the sorption capabilities of the drug are not very large, but because of the reasonable price, they continue to take it “for old times’ sake”: 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight, washed down with water. The drugs described above are needed to remove toxic waste products from the body and reduce diarrhea. Medicines in this group are not taken together with other medications, so an interval of about 2 hours should be maintained.

If severe diarrhea appears due to poisoning, it is imperative to restore the intestinal microflora. Special complexes of beneficial bacteria Acipol, Yogurt, Linex will help solve this issue.

Important! Diarrhea in case of alcohol poisoning cannot be purposefully eliminated - this is another protective reaction in addition to vomiting, with the help of which the body gets rid of toxic substances.

Eliminate pain from alcohol poisoning

The headache of moderate alcohol poisoning can sometimes drive you crazy. You cannot tolerate painful sensations - the pain syndrome must be blocked. Aspirin is not suitable for this purpose, since acetylsalicylic acid in combination with ethanol will not bring any benefit to the body. Then what to drink if you have alcohol poisoning? The best way to relieve pain is with ibuprofen-based analgesics.

How not to treat alcohol poisoning

In attempts to alleviate a person’s condition due to alcohol poisoning, it is strictly prohibited:

  • resort to a dubious hangover method (treat a hangover with a new portion of alcohol);
  • take a hot bath or go to the sauna;
  • drink “inappropriate” pills - Furosemide, Paracetamol, Analgin, sleeping pills and antiallergic drugs;
  • take medications to relieve diarrhea.

Folk remedies for alcohol poisoning

People have come up with many ways to overcome hangovers and alcohol poisoning without pills:

  1. Dilute 2 tbsp in 1 liter of boiled water. l. honey and take several sips throughout the day.
  2. Prepare a decoction of tansy - a wonderful remedy for poisoning of any kind. Take 50 g of dried raw material and brew it with boiling water (0.5 l), then add 20 g of chamomile flowers. The cooled and strained product should be taken with meals at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. per 10 kg body weight.
  3. After violent libations, ammonia solution will quickly bring you back to life; in everyday life - ammonia. Dissolve 10 drops of the product in a glass of water. You need to take the medicine 1 - 2 small sips every 30 minutes.
  4. If you are tormented by nausea, you can save yourself with a decoction of lemon balm. 1 tsp Add 250 ml of boiling water to the dried and crushed raw materials, let it brew a little, and then drink a healthy drink instead of tea. For taste, you can add a little honey and a slice of lemon to the product.
  5. The fastest way for your body to get rid of toxic toxins is to drink lemon, orange or grapefruit juice throughout the day.

The morning after a party where there was a lot of drinking, you need to allow yourself to rest. Alcohol poisoning cannot be tolerated on your feet. The best thing to do is take a cool shower, don’t force yourself to eat, and drink a lot of plain water. If there is a feeling of general malaise, you need to go to bed and not get up until the weakness goes away. If after 10 hours your health does not return to normal, you should consult a doctor.

No one is safe from alcohol poisoning. Corporate events, business negotiations in a relaxed atmosphere, long holidays and simply fun parties - all this has become a part of our life. And if we take into account that the body may be overworked or weakened by a recent illness, then a little alcohol, which provokes poisoning, will be required.

First of all, you need to remember the symptoms of alcohol poisoning: speech becomes slurred, eyes become glassy, ​​there is a distinct smell of ethanol in the exhaled air, facial skin turns pale, breathing is heavy, pupils are dilated. There may be a sudden loss of consciousness or falling asleep.

1. First of all, it is necessary to clear the stomach of alcohol that has not had time to enter the bloodstream. To do this, prepare a soda solution - take one spoon of soda per liter of boiled warm water - and give it to the patient to drink. The more liquid you drink, the better. Then press either a finger or a spoon on the root of the tongue and thereby induce vomiting.

If a person gets worse from vomiting, you need to let him lie down for a while. Ideally, of course, it is better to call an ambulance, but there are situations when this is impossible for a number of reasons: either it is far from the city, or the reluctance of the poisoned person. You cannot leave a person who suddenly falls asleep in an alcoholic sleep. Sleep in this state can become “eternal.”

The surest step would be to help him first remove toxins that poison the liver, give substances that help get out of a serious condition, and only then give the person a rest.

2. After gastric lavage, drowsiness appears, let him rest; the stomach needs a break before taking sorbents. But after five minutes you definitely need to drink any enterosorbent: activated carbon 4-5 tablets, smecta, polyphepan or enterosgel. When taking medications, strictly follow the instructions and use them in an age-appropriate dosage, and you must also remember that a poisoned person should only be placed on his side, not on his back. Otherwise, there may be suffocation due to vomiting spasms.

Folk remedies that help with alcohol intoxication

1. Honey water. Fructose contained in honey helps reduce ailments and helps sober up. To make such water, you need to dissolve honey in water and drink. The bigger, the better. In total, you need to drink up to one hundred and fifty grams of honey.

2. Diuretic teas. Decoctions from parsley root, linden blossom, mint, horsetail, thyme. More recipes in the article.

3. After vomiting, which is the most natural sobering agent for alcohol poisoning, it is useful to drink saffron tincture. For 2 cups of boiling water, take a dessert spoon of powdered saffron, cover and leave until cool. Drink in small sips.

4. Egg whites effectively help with poisoning: take 2 eggs, separate the whites from the yolks, scramble the whites and drink them in one gulp.

5. Tansy decoction is an effective aid for intoxication of almost any kind. Heat 50 g of plant flowers in the oven for about ten minutes, and then pour boiling water (500 ml.). When the broth has cooled, add 20 grams to it. chamomile and let the broth boil again. Infuse the decoction for a day, take it for several days (no more than five) with meals, the dose is determined by weight - one spoon per 10 kilograms.

6. Ammonia (10 drops in half a glass of water) or apple cider vinegar (1 spoon in half a glass) will help sober up well: take a sip every 15 minutes.

7. If the stomach is cleared, but the nausea does not go away, a decoction of lemon balm will help. Brew a dessert spoon of herbs in a glass of boiling water. Drink half a glass of chilled and strained broth before meals.

8. Fresh citrus fruits neutralize toxins well. For this reason, it is good to drink fresh orange juice both during the feast and after it.

9. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into a glass of water and stir in a spoonful of sugar. Drinking slowly helps stabilize blood sugar levels.

10. Brine. A good old remedy that has saved us for many centuries. Any brine will do, but sauerkraut is more effective.

Expert opinion

Alcohol poisoning is accompanied by quite clear signs: redness of the skin, agitation or lethargy, unsteadiness of gait, smell of alcohol on the breath, loose speech, impaired critical thinking. If it is not possible to transport such a person to the hospital, it is worth providing him with first aid at home.

The first step is to rinse the stomach: a person drinks a lot of liquid and causes vomiting. Be careful: such a patient should either lie on his left side, or lean forward and raise his face slightly up (so that vomit does not enter the respiratory tract). When the vomit becomes transparent, give the victim strong sweet tea, salted water and give a sorbent (activated carbon, enterosgel) inside.

Several recommendations for combating the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption

Never relieve symptoms and consequences with alcoholic drinks, or, more simply, do not get hungover: the body needs help, and it will be increasingly difficult for it to get out of the state of intoxication.

During sleep, a hangover is easier to bear, so you need to sleep more.

Do not be afraid and do not suppress the vomiting spasms - this is our body healing itself, the more alcohol released in this way, the less it will be in the blood.

The first sign that you need to pay attention to when consuming alcohol is redness of the face; if redness appears, it is advisable to stop drinking or skip some toast, go for a walk in the fresh air or eat.

If all measures have been taken, the stomach has been cleared, absorbent agents have been given, but the person is worse and consciousness does not return, an ambulance must be urgently called; Maybe the reason lies in another disease, and we will only aggravate the situation for the patient with our inept actions.

Alcohol poisoning is a dangerous condition during which most internal organs and the brain are damaged. It can lead to permanent disability and death. This article discusses in detail first aid for alcohol poisoning at home, the main signs of using alcohol substitutes.

What are the main causes of alcohol poisoning

The main causes of alcohol poisoning are discussed below.

  • One large intake of alcoholic beverages. Intoxication develops at a blood alcohol concentration of 2.5 g/l. It is worth noting that this concentration is individual for each person. It depends on his weight, age, liver and kidney performance.
  • Taking alcohol together with medications or narcotic substances. Some drugs enhance the effect of alcohol on the body. For example, antidepressants, barbiturates, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  • Binge drinking is a state of prolonged and continuous drinking of alcohol over several days or months. This condition occurs in alcoholism.
  • Taking alcohol substitutes (methyl, ethylene glycol). These liquids are used in industries. Unscrupulous alcohol producers sometimes dilute vodka with them. These drinks are deadly.

What are the symptoms of alcohol poisoning?

The first signs of alcohol poisoning appear within a few hours. Their severity depends on the quantity and quality of the drink.

Remember that with methyl poisoning, the first symptoms may appear only after 1-2 days.

Ethyl alcohol poisoning

Ethyl alcohol intoxication develops as a result of taking large doses of alcohol; the concentration of alcohol in the blood increases sharply. The development of poisoning indicates the body’s inability to neutralize alcohol molecules on its own. Alcohol poisoning affects the nervous, digestive, respiratory and endocrine systems.

We list the main symptoms of ethyl alcohol poisoning.

  • Nausea and vomiting. Vomiting is a defense mechanism. With its help, the stomach tries to get rid of excess drink.
  • Diarrhea develops due to disruption of the pancreas. It can be abundant and lead to severe dehydration.
  • Severe abdominal pain, which can be localized in the stomach or intestines. This pain is caused by inflammation of the gastric mucosa, flatulence and damage to the pancreas.
  • Nervous abnormalities. With alcohol poisoning, brain tissue does not receive enough oxygen and glucose. Due to dehydration and thickening of the blood, vasospasm develops. Symptoms of damage to brain cells by alcohol:

  1. hallucinations;
  2. cramps that spread to all muscle groups;
  3. increased agitation and aggressiveness;
  4. not a special act of defecation and urination;
  5. a disturbance of consciousness in which the victim gradually sinks into a stupor and then falls into a deep coma.
  • Shallow and rapid breathing. The patient gradually develops respiratory failure.

Methyl alcohol poisoning

The main symptom is blurred vision. A person complains of a weakening of the clarity of the picture he sees, a feeling of blurred vision. Methyl alcohol leads to complete and irreversible blindness.

The remaining symptoms are the same as for ethanol poisoning.

Ethylene glycol poisoning

How to help the victim

First aid for alcohol poisoning should begin immediately after signs of the disease appear. First, you should call an emergency medical team at home. Describe the patient's symptoms to the dispatcher. Self-medication at home for this condition is prohibited. First aid for alcohol poisoning at home is provided by relatives before the arrival of doctors. Exactly The prognosis of life depends on timely and correct pre-medical care.

Below we consider emergency care for alcohol intoxication, which must be provided to the victim before the arrival of emergency doctors.

Gastric lavage is necessary to cleanse the stomach cavity of alcohol or toxic substances. By cleaning the stomach, you can improve the patient's condition.

Please note that gastric lavage at home is performed only on conscious people. If the patient is comatose or severely intoxicated, this procedure may result in aspiration of water into the lungs and choking on vomit.

In order to cleanse your stomach at home, you need to drink 1 liter of plain table water in one gulp and then vomit it. This procedure can be done several times. There is no need to add medications or potassium permanganate to the rinsing water.

Purgation

An enema is performed to cleanse the intestines of alcohol breakdown products and toxins. It helps reduce intoxication syndrome. An enema is a mandatory component of emergency care for alcohol intoxication.

To carry it out, use water at neutral (room) temperature. You cannot add medications or herbal solutions to it. An enema should be done until clean rinsing water is obtained.

Sorbents

Sorbents are drugs that remove toxins and poisons from the body. They accelerate the neutralization of alcohol and reduce intoxication syndrome.

Carefully read the rules for selecting the dosage of the sorbent. It may depend on the weight or age of the patient. Sorbents should be taken with plenty of liquid. Water enhances their ability to bind toxins.

Preparations:

  • Activated carbon;
  • white coal;
  • sorbex;
  • enterosgel;
  • smecta.

Drink plenty of fluids

The patient must be given water to drink. This should be done after washing the stomach and intestines. It is better to drink a little bit, in small sips. Drinking will reduce your level of dehydration and make you feel better.

What to do if a patient loses consciousness

In case of severe alcohol poisoning, the victim may be unconscious or in a coma. You should check his breathing, heartbeat and place him on a hard, flat surface on his side. If you can't turn him on his side, at least turn his head. This is necessary to prevent tongue retraction and choking on vomit.

The pulse is checked in the carotid artery. Breathing can be checked by placing your hand on the person's chest, feeling it move as you inhale and exhale. If breathing and heartbeat stop, indirect cardiac massage should be started.

Subsequent treatment

Having arrived at the call, doctors begin providing first aid for alcohol poisoning. First of all, they conduct a quick assessment of the patient’s condition. Close people need to tell in detail the symptoms, describe the help that they managed to provide on their own, name the approximate time the patient consumed alcohol and its amount.

What does first aid consist of:

  • cleaning the stomach through a tube is carried out for people in an unconscious state;
  • connecting an IV with medications to relieve alcohol intoxication;
  • connecting the patient to oxygen through a mask;
  • normalization of cardiac activity with the help of medications.

Doctors then hospitalize the patient in the toxicology or intensive care unit. At the hospital, his blood is taken to test for alcohol and toxins. The duration of hospitalization depends on the patient's condition.

Treatment in a hospital may consist of:

  • hemodialysis (blood purification). The patient is connected to a special “artificial kidney” device, which cleanses all the blood. Hemodialysis is performed to quickly remove toxins from the body. It is done for all poisonings with surrogate alcohol;
  • administration of an antidote. For methyl poisoning, the antidote used is ethyl alcohol. It is administered to the patient intravenously in low concentrations throughout the day. Only through the introduction of an antidote can total blindness be avoided;
  • intravenous drip administration of solutions to eliminate intoxication (trisol, disol, reopolyglucin, reosorbilact, glucose).

Alcohol poisoning is a particularly dangerous intoxication. It often causes disability, permanent disability, blindness, and death. Treatment of alcohol intoxication is carried out in the toxicology or intensive care department. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should call an emergency medical team. Before the doctors arrive, you can try to rinse the patient’s stomach and intestines, give him sorbents and drink.