How Long Does Alcohol Poisoning Last?
Alcohol is readily available to the public, widely accepted, and legal to consume. What could go wrong while drinking it?
Most people are probably familiar with the “fun” aspects of drinking—many are likely familiar with the not so fun parts as well. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a couple drinks from time to time, but we often overlook the risks and dangers associated with overdoing it.
Unsafe drinking practices can lead to much more than just a headache or a hangover the next day. Poor drinking habits can lead to alcohol use disorder, long-term health issues, and, in severe cases, death.
What is Alcohol Poisoning?
Alcohol poisoning, also referred to as acute alcohol intoxication, is an overdose of alcohol. It occurs when a person drinks a lot in a short amount of time. When the body is flooded with large amounts of alcohol quickly, it can’t metabolize it quickly enough, which causes the blood alcohol content (BAC) to continue to rise past safe levels.
Our bodies can only handle so much alcohol at once before it begins to get overwhelmed. Generally speaking, our bodies can metabolize about one drink per hour. Though your blood will still have trace amounts of alcohol, you won’t feel the intoxicating effects. More than one drink an hour, and the alcohol builds up in the body, causing inebriation.
Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning
Symptoms of alcohol poisoning and the severity of them can vary, but you can recognize it when a person experiences these symptoms:
- Mental confusion
- Falling unconscious
- Vomiting
- Clammy skin
- No gag reflex
- Seizures
- Slow or irregular breathing
- Slowed heart rate
- Hypothermia
The first few symptoms on this list might seem like something most people who have binge-drank before have experienced. Odds are, they’ve experienced it more than once, and it was solved by sleeping it off. However, they happened in the early stages of alcohol overdose.
In more severe cases, these symptoms can lead to even more life-threatening complications.
Why It's Dangerous
Alcohol poisoning can incapacitate a person to the point that they can’t perform basic functions necessary to stay alive. Reaching intoxication levels this high can overwhelm the liver, slow your heart rate, and deoxygenate your brain. Vital functions like breathing, body temperature control, and your heart beat begin to shut down.
In the worst cases, alcohol poisoning can be fatal. Suffering a severe case of alcohol poisoning or reaching that extreme intoxication level regularly can lead to long-term organ damage. It can also put you at a higher risk of developing an addiction to alcohol. This kind of drinking can lead to chronic diseases and health issues that you may have to deal with for the rest of your life.
If you’ve ever had alcohol poisoning and are rethinking your drinking habits, you’re not alone. Sequoia Behavioral Health offers several programs that can help you with alcohol addiction. Learn more about alcohol abuse, addiction, and dependency, and reach out to see how we can help.
How Long Do Alcohol Poisoning Effects Last?
The duration of the effects of alcohol poisoning depends on quite a few factors. Typically, acute symptoms subside in a few hours to a day, but more severe symptoms may have longer lasting effects.
In general, it takes around eight to twelve hours for alcohol to be cleared from the bloodstream. However, the more alcohol a person drinks in a short time frame can make the overdose effects last longer.
The best generalized timetable for alcohol poisoning is this:
- 30 minutes to 2 hours of start binge drinking → initial effects are felt
- 2 to 4 hours of binge drinking → intoxication advances
- 4 to 6 hours of binge drinking → signs of alcohol poisoning emerge
- 6 hours or more pass → more serious potential complications begin to appear
Again, this is a loose timeline of alcohol poisoning. Everyone can react to alcohol differently based on genetics, biology, what else they’ve consumed, and other factors.
Factors That May Change the Timeline
Not only can alcohol affect everyone differently, it can even vary for the same person on different days.
Factors that may affect how quickly someone gets drunk, how intense the effects of alcohol are:
- How fast you’re drinking
- How much you’re drinking
- Body weight and composition
- Gender
- Alcohol tolerance
- Metabolism
- Medications
- How much water you’ve drank
- How much food you’ve eaten
Recognize how different habits and actions affect how you feel. These factors matter when it comes to your BAC. Know your limits and don’t get pressured into pushing them.
How It Happens
If you stick to the recommended one drink per hour, your body can metabolize each at the same rate that you consume them. However, if you’re binge drinking, the alcohol is going to compound in your bloodstream.
While the liver and kidneys are very efficient in clearing alcohol from your system, they can only do so much at a time.
While your body works to metabolize the first beverages you consume, the other drinks just sit in the stomach and intestine—with their alcohol content getting absorbed into your bloodstream. This is how your BAC rises. Even if you’ve stopped drinking for a few hours, those last few drinks won’t “hit” you until your liver and kidneys begin metabolizing that alcohol.
When you drink faster than your body can metabolize the alcohol, you can continue to get more intoxicated—even after you stop drinking. This is why it is difficult to assess how intoxicated someone actually is, including yourself.
When Do People Drink Like This?
This kind of drinking happens a lot more than you may think. Typically, people experience alcohol poisoning when they have been binge drinking or high-intensity drinking. You most often see this happen at college parties and sporting events. Drinking games also increase the likelihood of binge or high intensity drinking activity.
Anyone who’s BAC has reached a level of 0.08% or higher is considered to have been binge drinking. Generally, the pattern of drinking that leads to this is the consumption of five drinks in two hours for males or four drinks in two hours for females.
When the drinking pattern surpasses the binge-drinking levels by two or more times, then it’s considered high-intensity drinking.
Anyone who chooses to drink can engage in binge or high-intensity drinking, not just people who struggle with substance use disorders. For many people, it is not uncommon to slip into one of these drinking patterns from time to time.
Can You Speed Up the Recovery Process?
There is a common misconception that you can speed up the recovery from alcohol poisoning by doing things like taking a cold shower, drinking coffee, or getting your blood pumping to “sober up.” These things don’t work. In fact, some of the attempts to speed up the recovery process actually make things worse.
The only thing that sobers you up is time or medical attention.
If you suspect someone is experiencing alcohol poisoning, it is important to seek medical care before it is too late. Call 911 and while you wait for help to arrive, make sure you stay by their side the whole time. Try to keep them sitting upright if they’re conscious—or rolled onto their side if unconscious—to avoid choking. Keep them warm awake, if possible.
Get Help
Alcohol is integrated into so many life events and daily activities or social gatherings. If you choose to drink, you should be able to enjoy it responsibly without the risk of alcohol poisoning.
If you suspect you or a loved one has unhealthy drinking patterns that need to be addressed, reach out to Sequoia Behavioral Health to prevent alcohol poisoning and other related serious issues.
Whether you are trying to build a healthier relationship with alcohol or cut it out entirely, we can help you reach your goals.