Signs and Symptoms:

• Unconscious or semi consciousness.
• Slow respiration (breaths) of eight or less per minute or lapses between breaths of more than eight seconds.
• Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin. In the event of alcohol poisoning, these signs and symptoms will most likely be accompanied by a strong odor of alcohol. While these are obvious signs of alcohol poisoning, the list is certainly not all inclusive.

Know What to Do and Save a Friend's Life:

• If you encounter a person who exhibits one or more of the signs and symptoms CALL 911. Do what you would do in any medical emergency--call immediately.
• While waiting for 911 emergency transport, gently turn the intoxicated person on his/her side and maintain that position by placing a pillow in the small of the person's back. This is important to prevent aspiration (choking) should the person vomit.
• Stay with the person until medical help arrives.
• If a person appears to be "sleeping it off" it is important to realize that even though a person may be semi-conscious, alcohol already in the stomach may continue to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body. The person's life may still be in danger.
• If you are having difficulty in determining whether an individual is acutely intoxicated, contact a health professional immediately--you cannot afford to guess.

Reprinted from National Council on Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Inc