The harmful effects of intoxicants such as alcohol
Alcohol is used to make wine, beer, spirits, and liqueurs. It is a legal, sedative drug that can cause addiction or dependency for people who drink too much. Alcohol abuse harms your health and damages relationships and society through violence, crime, and accidents caused by drink driving.
What is alcohol intoxication?
Alcohol intoxication is a condition associated with drinking too much alcohol in a short amount of time. It’s called alcohol poisoning. Alcohol intoxication is serious and is not to be taken lightly. It affects your body temperature, breathing, heart rate, and gag reflex. It can also sometimes lead to coma or death.
What are the symptoms of alcohol intoxication?
Alcohol intoxication can occur quickly over a short amount of time. When a person is consuming alcohol, you might notice different symptoms. These symptoms are associated with different levels, or stages, of intoxication. The stages of intoxication differ from person to person because they’re based on age, sex, weight, and other factors, but generally, the seven stages of alcohol intoxication and their symptoms include the following:
1. Sobriety or low-level intoxication
If a person has consumed one or fewer drinks per hour, they’re considered sober or low-level intoxicated. At this stage of intoxication, the person’s behavior is normal with no visible signs of intoxication, such as slurred speech or delayed reaction time.
2. Euphoria
If a person has generally consumed two to three drinks as a man or one to two drinks as a woman in an hour, they’ll enter the euphoric stage of intoxication. Some symptoms may include increased chattiness and confidence, delayed reaction time, and decreased inhibitions.
3. Excitement
At this stage, a man might have consumed three to five drinks in an hour, or two to four drinks for a woman. At this time, a person will begin to experience emotional instability and a significant loss of coordination. Other symptoms include loss of judgment and memory, vision problems, loss of balance, and drowsiness and the person will appear visibly “drunk” at this stage.
4. Confusion
If a man consumes more than five drinks or a woman more than 4 drinks in an hour, they’ll enter the next stage of intoxication: confusion. This stage is marked by emotional outbursts and a major loss of coordination. The person may be unable to stand up, stagger when walking, and likely be extremely confused about what’s happening.
People in this stage of intoxication are very likely to forget things happening around or to them. They might “blackout” without losing consciousness and may not be able to feel pain. This makes them at risk of injury.
5. Stupor
People at this stage no longer respond to the things happening around or to them and will be unable to stand or walk. They may completely pass out or lose control over their bodily functions, becoming incontinent or vomiting uncontrollably. They may also experience seizures or have blue-tinged or pale skin. Their breathing and gag reflexes will likely be impaired.
This stage can be very dangerous and even fatal if a person chokes on their vomit or becomes critically injured.
6. Coma
This stage is extremely dangerous. A person’s breathing and blood circulation will be extremely slow. Motor responses and gag reflexes are non-functional, and the body temperature drops. A person at this stage is at risk of death.
7. Death
It may seem like a person has to drink a lot to get to this stage. But if a person drinks very quickly, they can get to this stage before long.