Alcohol Intoxication

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Alcohol intoxication is a harmful physical condition caused when you drink more alcohol than your body can handle. It is also called ethanol poisoning or being drunk.

AFTER YOU LEAVE:

Take your medicine as directed:

Call your primary healthcare provider if you think your medicine is not helping or if you have side effects. Tell him if you are taking any vitamins, herbs, or other medicines. Keep a list of the medicines you take. Include the amounts, and when and why you take them. Bring the list or the pill bottles to follow-up visits.

Follow up with your primary healthcare provider as directed:

Write down your questions so you remember to ask them during your visits.

Limit or avoid alcohol:

Alcohol can damage your brain, heart, and liver. Men should not have more than 2 drinks per day. Women should not have more than 1 drink per day. A drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or one and one-half ounces of liquor. Talk with your primary healthcare provider if you need help to stop drinking.

Do not drive or operate machines when you drink alcohol:

Make sure you always have someone to drive you when you drink alcohol.

Learn ways to manage stress. Deep breathing, meditation, and listening to music may help you cope with stressful events. Talk to your caregiver about other ways to manage stress.

For more information:

Contact the following:

• Alcoholics Anonymous
  Web Address: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.
  

Contact your primary healthcare provider if:

• You feel like you need help to stop drinking alcohol.
  
  
• You have trouble with work or school because you drink too much alcohol.
  
  
• You have physical or verbal fights because of alcohol.
  
  
• You would like to drink less alcohol, but you are not sure how.
  
  
• You have questions or concerns about your condition.

Seek immediate care or call 911 if:

• You have sudden trouble breathing or chest pain.
  
  
• You have a seizure.
  
  
• You feel sad enough to harm yourself or others.
  
  
• You have hallucinations (you see or hear things that are not real).
  
  
• You cannot stop vomiting.
  
  
• You were in an accident.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

Learn more about Alcohol Intoxication (Discharge Care)