One thousand, eight hundred and twenty five.

That’s how many alcohol-related injury deaths occur in college students (aged 18 – 24) every year. That means that, on any given night, five college students will succumb to death following an evening of binge drinking.

And the drinking doesn’t stop in college: alcohol and drug abuse related charges make up the lion’s share of criminal arrests throughout the U.S. According to the Times Leader, in Pennsylvania, 25 percent of criminal offenses are attributed to DUIs, and 20,125 adults were admitted to state-supported facilities for alcohol abuse in 2013. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 3,500 people died because of excessive alcohol use, and 470 of those died in motor vehicle accidents.

What Is Alcohol Poisoning?

Alcohol is a depressant drug that slows down the body’s involuntary actions, including breathing and a gag reflex, according to CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov. While having a drink or two may be seem like a fun night out with friends, and completely innocent, a fatal dose of alcohol can cause a person to stop breathing or choke on his or her own vomit if left unattended.

If a friend drinks to the point where he or she passes out or is about to pass out, it may be tempting to put that person in bed and let him or her “sleep it off.” However, this may be signing a friend’s death certificate. After a night of binge drinking, there is alcohol in the stomach that will continue to enter the bloodstream and raise the blood alcohol level long after drinking has ceased. Further, putting someone to sleep who may roll onto his back can cause a person to choke to death on his own vomit.


What Are The Signs?

When is a night out on the town no longer innocent fun? There are a number of critical signs and symptoms that you or the designated driver in your party should be aware of the next time that you decide to go out with a bang, according to CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov:

• If you or a member of your party starts exhibiting signs of extreme confusion or agitation, enters a stupor, or passes out and cannot be roused, it’s a sign of alcohol poisoning.
• Your body knows when enough it enough. Vomiting is a signal that the party is over, and you should make every effort to get the ill person hydrated with water.

•  In some cases, a person with alcohol poisoning may suffer seizures. An alcohol overdose can cause the body’s blood sugar levels to crash.
• If a friend has been out and is now exhibiting signs of breathing problems – either slow breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute) or irregular breathing (10 or more seconds between breaths), it’s a serious symptom of alcohol poisoning that should not be ignored.
•  If the person in question begins exhibiting the symptoms of hypothermia, such as low body temperature and bluish skin tone, it may be a sign that alcohol poisoning has set in.

An alcohol overdose is a serious thing. A person who has had too much to drink may experience difficulty breathing, have irregular heart beats, or in serious cases, may go into cardiac arrest and have his or her heart stop altogether. If left untreated, dehydration caused by vomiting can lead to seizures, permanent brain damage, or even death.


What Can I Do?

It’s important that you and your friends know the signs of alcohol poisoning – and recognize that alcohol poisoning is a serious condition that will require emergency medical help. In the case where a friend has become impaired, he or she does not need to be exhibiting all of the symptoms and signs of alcohol poisoning to already be in a deadly situation – and that someone who has passed out, without medical intervention, may not wake up.

Exercise common sense when you go out – be sure that you have a designated driver (or walker) in your party who can keep a sober eye on the group and make sure no one becomes ill.

Think twice before binge drinking – studies have shown that binge drinking in adolescence (which, according to the studies, refers to the period of brain development until our mid-20s) can cause serious, permanent brain damage.

If you are a college student or member of a formal organization, say no to hazing rituals that involve alcohol. According to AwareAwakeAlive.org, 82 percent of college hazing deaths involved alcohol. And as the deaths continue to make headlines across the country, students have an opportunity to become part of the solution by doing away with alcohol-related hazing rituals that include binge drinking, taking shots, or drinking and exposure to the elements.

If you suspect that someone in your group has alcohol poisoning, call 911 immediately and be prepared to provide the operator with as much information as you can regarding what the person was drinking, how much, and how recently, as well as providing details about symptoms.

Never leave someone who has passed out in a room unmonitored. You should consider that this condition has serious, permanent consequences and get emergency medical care immediately. You should not try to induce vomiting while waiting for medical help. A person suffering from alcohol poisoning has an affected gag reflex – which can cause the person to choke on his or her own vomit or aspirate vomit into the lungs, which can cause a fatal lung injury.


If you have a friend who is conscious but beginning to exhibit the signs of alcohol poisoning, call 800-222-1222 to be routed to your local poison control center. They can offer help in determining whether your friend needs emergency medical attention and what you can do to help.

Never be afraid to seek help.

Especially for minors, the thought of ruining a college career, losing a scholarship, or being arrested for underage drinking can seem horrific, but not when compared with the charges that come from a fatal alcohol overdose. In many cases, those students who do the right thing aren’t prosecuted for stepping forward and coming to the aid of a friend. Those, however, who stand by while a fellow student succumbs to this condition are very likely to face serious, permanent consequences.