A National Directory of Drug Treatment Centers and Alcohol Treatment Centers, Therapists and Specialists. A free, simple directory providing assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, dependency and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul.
Call
888-647-0579
to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.
Who Answers?
Alcohol poisoning: The hard facts
Poisoning caused by binge drinking – drinking excessively within a short period. For men, that’s five standard-sized alcoholic beverages within two hours. For women it’s four or more standard-sized drinks, which is defined as a 12-ounce beer, a 5- ounce glass of wine or a mixed drink with one shot. With excessive drinking, the liver struggles to process the alcohol and motor functions become impaired. If alcohol starts to surround the brain stem, involuntary actions such as breathing can grow difficult. Heart attack, seizure, coma or death can result if left untreated.
Who’s at risk?
While anyone who engages in binge drinking is at risk of alcohol poisoning, some are in more danger than others.
Women are more susceptible because their bodies produce lower levels of enzymes that delay alcohol from being released into the stomach. There are also fewer places alcohol can go in women’s bodies because they have a higher body fat-to-water ratio than men. As a result, alcohol tends to stay clustered around a woman’s brain stem and other vital organs.
Thinner people and those with petite builds are at greater risk because their bodies absorb alcohol more rapidly because of their size.
People using medications and those with health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes are more prone to alcohol poisoning.
Tips for prevention
Pace drinking by consuming no more than one standard-sized drink per hour.
Alternate alcohol intake with nonalcoholic drinks such as water.
Dilute drinks by adding more ice or mixing them more weakly.
Eat something prior to or during drinking to help slow the rate at which the body absorbs alcohol.
Avoid drinking games or downing shots where the pace or rate of drinking can’t be slowed.
Educate friends and family about the dangers of binge drinking.
At home, keep alcohol stored away from teens and children.
There should be a ban on all alcohol advertising, including sports and music sponsorship, doctors say. The British Medical Association said the crackdown on marketing was needed, along with an end to cut-price deals, to stop rising rates of consumption. The industry spends £800m a year on promoting drinks – just a quarter of which….
Parents who allow school-age children to drink occasionally may be protecting them from alcohol damage, violence and sexual danger, a health study published today suggests. The survey of almost 10,000 15- to 16-year-olds’ drinking patterns in north-west England by researchers at the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University found that enforcing abstinence….
The school called the meeting in response to a weekend last month when there were three car accidents involving students from the high school. Two of the accidents happened around or after 2 a.m., two involved students who had left house parties, and in one instance a student was cited for operating under the influence,….
Before you take your next drink or smoke that cigarette, consider this: alcohol and tobacco are among the top causes of preventable deaths in the United States. It’s not surprising that these substances are often used together. In fact, the results of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on….
Former Hells Angel Richie Kane, 52, says he found God after bottoming out on alcohol and now has a second chance at life. For most of his years, Richie Kane struggled through a living hell of physical and sexual abuse, alcoholism and membership in one of the most notorious gangs in the country. But now….
