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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffAlcohol comes in several forms, including:
- Isopropyl alcohol, which is found in rubbing alcohol, lotions and some cleaning products
- Methanol, a common ingredient in antifreeze, paints and solvents
- Ethanol — found in alcoholic beverages, mouthwash and some medications
Although alcohol poisoning can occur when you accidentally — or even intentionally — consume household products containing alcohol, most alcohol poisoning results from drinking too many alcoholic beverages, especially in a short period of time.
How much is too much?
Unlike food, which can take hours to digest, alcohol is absorbed quickly by your body — long before most other nutrients. If you drink on an empty stomach, about 20 percent of the alcohol is absorbed directly from your stomach and can reach your brain in less than a minute.
Most alcohol, though, is processed by your liver. It takes about one hour for your liver to process (metabolize) the alcohol in one drink — defined as 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of beer, 4 to 5 ounces (118 to 148 milliliters) of wine or 1.5 ounce (44 milliliters) of 80-proof distilled spirits. Mixed drinks often contain more than one serving of alcohol and take even longer to metabolize.
The rate at which alcohol is processed can vary considerably from person to person and depends on a number of factors. In general, though, drinking more than one drink an hour gives your liver more than it can handle. Binge drinking — usually defined as rapidly downing five drinks or more in a row — is especially dangerous. Drinking large quantities of alcohol so quickly means that you can consume a lethal dose before you pass out.
What happens to your body when you drink?
Alcohol depresses the nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing, heartbeat and your gag reflex, which keeps you from choking. Excessive alcohol intake can slow and, in some cases, shut down these functions. Your body temperature can also drop (hypothermia), leading to cardiac arrest. And your blood sugar level can fall low enough to cause seizures.
- Watson WA et al. 2004 annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System. American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2005;23(5):589-666.
- Facts about alcohol poisoning. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.">http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/OtherAlcoholInformation/factsAboutAlcoholPoisoning.aspx. Accessed Sept. 6, 2008.
- Alcohol poisoning. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/PEOPLE/outreach/SafeSobr/15qp/web/idalc.html. Accessed Sept. 6, 2008.
- Alcohol alert. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa37.htm. Accessed Sept. 6, 2008.
- Woolfenden S, et al. Children and adolescents with acute alcohol intoxication/self-poisoning presenting to the emergency department. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2002;156(4):345-348.
- Young-Hee Y, et al. Accidental alcohol poisoning mortality. National Institute on Alcohol Dependency. http://www.nicd.us/alcoholpoisoning.html. Accessed Sept. 6, 2008.
