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5 Important Things I Learned From Red Watch Band Training

We’ve all heard the same infuriating stories before: college students drinking and having a blast one minute, and the next minute there’s a cold, dead body on a couch among red solo cups that reek of alcohol and indifference. The indifference of the avid party-goers who have inadvertently failed to realize that an emergency is unfolding right before their very eyes. What’s disheartening is that every year, around 2,000 college students lose their lives to alcohol poisoning.

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Featured

 Here’s What Alcohol Poisoning Can Do to Your Body

If you’ve ever been swept up in the moment and said yes to one more shot of tequila when you should have said hell no, you’re probably well aware of what it feels like to have a bit too much to drink. Getting pretty sloshy doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll end up with more than a bad hangover—but alcohol poisoning is still a serious risk of binge drinking, and your chances of reaching this state increase the more you drink at one time...

 Know The Signs

If you suspect that someone has alcohol poisoning, even if you don’t see the classic signs and symptoms, seek immediate medical care. In an emergency, follow these suggestions...

 What to Do When Your Roommate Comes Home Too Drunk

Experts tell us how to differentiate a 'call 9-1-1' type of moment from a more benign 'get this person a burger and Gatorade' vibe.

 When Alcohol Turns Deadly

Ideally, drink in a place where you can easily walk home or secure a ride from a sober friend, taxi, or shuttle. Do not drink to impress people or challenge others because you put yourself in the most danger when drinking as part of a dare or race.

Articles of Interest

Alcohol poisoning and the dangers of binge drinking

Sampson says the best way to avoid alcohol poisoning is to stay away from binge drinking. When consuming drinks quickly, even if you don’t feel drunk, your blood alcohol level continues to rise.

Alcohol Poisoning Deaths Are Most Common in Middle-Age

Binge-drinking may seem like a primarily youthful indiscretion, linked as it so often is to college in general, and fraternities in particular. But it’s middle-aged adults who are most at risk when it comes to dying of acute alcohol poisoning specifically—drinking so much that the high concentration of alcohol in the blood shuts down parts of the brain.

Alcohol poisoning kills six people each day. Here's what that costs the US.

Alcohol poisoning happens when a person drinks too much alcohol in a short amount of time. The amount of alcohol in the bloodstream exceeds the body's ability to process it. That makes blood alcohol levels skyrocket and can lead to coma and death. And the CDC report shows that the problem disproportionately impacts men, American Indians, and costs the country billions each year in health care costs.

Alcohol-Related Deaths Spiked During the Pandemic, a Study Shows

The alcohol-related deaths went up for everybody — men, women, as well as every ethnic and racial group. Deaths among men and women increased at about the same rate, but the absolute number of deaths among men was much higher.

Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning

Amy Winehouse was over five times the legal drink-drive limit for alcohol when she died alone in her Camden home, an inquest today concluded.

Can You Really Drink Yourself Blind?

If you’re drinking moonshine, yes. Although alcohol that’s properly manufactured and regulated does not by itself cause blindness, people sometimes do go blind from drinking bootleg beverages. One common concern with moonshine is lead poisoning, which has been linked to blindness. Since moonshine is unregulated, it has sometimes been manufactured using lead pipes, lead soldering, or even car radiators, which can contain high levels of lead.

Don’t Be Fooled: Alcohol Poisoning Is Not a Myth

The effects of alcohol are often delayed. Many factors influence the amount of time between drinking alcohol and feeling its intoxicating effects — gender, weight, how much food is in the stomach, hormones, metabolic rate, race, as well as interactions with prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, dietary/herbal supplements, and illegal drugs.

During my freshman year in college, I experienced firsthand the dangers of overdrinking and alcohol

During my freshman year in college, I experienced firsthand the dangers of overdrinking and alcohol poisoning.

Is mixing drinks actually bad?

It would seem that, due to self-preservation, people would rather blame mixing drinks for feeling sick while out, or for a nasty hangover the next day, than admit alcohol has an insidious effect on the brain that leads to overindulgence. But the perfect counterbalanced randomised controlled trial of mixing drinks has not been conducted, so people can still hang on to these deeply entrenched beliefs should they wish to do so.

The Unhappy Drunk: Toxic Alcohols

Why would someone ever consume these alcohols? Typically, these substances are used for two reasons: suicide/homicide or inebriation. Toxic alcohols are more readily available than ethanol and are usually cheaper. This is especially true in patients who are under the legal drinking age. Toxic alcohol assays are commercially available, but are rarely used in hospital laboratories. It remains a challenge to diagnose these patients in the emergency room, as many of them mimic simple ethanol intoxication.

The US government once poisoned alcohol to get people to stop drinking

But people didn't stop drinking. Thirsty for any booze they could get, many Americans risked drinking the super-poisoned alcohol — and thousands died as a result.

Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol Overdose

What tips the balance from drinking that produces impairment to drinking that puts one’s life in jeopardy varies among individuals. Age, sensitivity to alcohol (tolerance), gender, speed of drinking, medications you are taking, and amount of food eaten can all be factors.

Resources

Aware Awake Alive

A world in which no young life is cut short due to alcohol poisoning.

Red Watch Band

The Red Watch Band program is a comprehensive bystander intervention program designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and awareness to prevent death from toxic drinking.

CDC

Alcohol poisoning is caused by drinking large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time. Very high levels of alcohol in the body can shutdown critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body temperature, resulting in death. Alcohol poisoning deaths affect people of all ages but are most common among middle-aged adults and men.