What Can Help

If you're with someone who's had too much to drink, stay with them, since there's a risk they could choke on their own vomit or stop breathing. Sit them up if they're awake, or place them in the recovery position if they've passed out, checking they're breathing properly throughout. If they're able to swallow, give them small sips of water, and keep them warm with a jacket or blanket.

What to Avoid

Don't let them drink more alcohol, and avoid coffee or other caffeinated drinks, since these can worsen dehydration in someone with alcohol poisoning. Don't put them in a cold shower or bath, since there's a risk of them getting too cold, falling, or losing consciousness in the water, and don't try to make them sick.

Hospital Treatment

If you have alcohol poisoning, you'll need to go to hospital for monitoring, since it can lead to serious complications such as liver and heart failure, which can be fatal. Treatment may include fluids given through a drip into a vein, and support with breathing until the effects of the alcohol wear off.

What Causes It

Alcohol poisoning is usually caused by binge drinking — having a large amount of alcohol in one session — which overwhelms your body's ability to filter it from the blood quickly enough. Having too much alcohol in the blood stops the body working properly and can become life-threatening. People are affected differently by alcohol, and some can tolerate more than others with fewer immediate effects, though this doesn't mean it's safe to drink heavily.

Further support and information on cutting down on alcohol, understanding units, and getting help with drinking is available if you're concerned about your own or someone else's alcohol use.