If someone is showing signs of alcohol poisoning, treat it as a medical emergency and act immediately.

What you should do (key steps)

  • Call emergency services right away (911, 999, 000, etc., depending on your country).
  • Stay with the person; do not leave them alone or let them “sleep it off.”
  • Try to keep them awake and sitting up if they can respond.
  • If they are unconscious or cannot sit up, place them on their side (recovery position) to help prevent choking on vomit.
  • Check their breathing regularly and be ready to start CPR if they stop breathing or do not have a pulse (if you know how to do it). This is standard first aid guidance in emergencies.
  • Keep them warm with a coat or blanket to reduce the risk of hypothermia.
  • If they are fully awake and able to swallow safely, you may offer small sips of water, but never force fluids.
  • When help arrives, tell paramedics what they drank, how much, when, and whether they took any drugs or medications.

What you should NOT do

These can be dangerous and should not be done for someone with suspected alcohol poisoning:

  • Do not let them “sleep it off” or leave them alone in a room.
  • Do not give them coffee, energy drinks, or more fluids in large amounts.
  • Do not try to make them vomit; they can choke, especially if their gag reflex is weak.
  • Do not put them in a cold shower or bath (this can cause shock or hypothermia).!
  • Do not make them walk around to “walk it off.”
  • Do not assume they will “be fine in the morning” if they have any worrying symptoms.

Signs that mean “call now”

If you see any of these, you should call emergency services immediately:

  • Confusion, can’t stay awake, or can’t be woken up
  • Vomiting repeatedly or uncontrollably
  • Slow, irregular, or very shallow breathing
  • Pale, bluish, or cold skin
  • Seizures or convulsions
  • Very slow heart rate or extremely low body temperature

A simple way to remember: if you’re asking yourself “Is this alcohol poisoning?”, act as if the answer is yes and call for help.

Example scenario

You’re at a party, and a friend has had a lot to drink.
They are vomiting, slurring words, and then become hard to wake. Their breathing seems slow. In that moment, the right thing to do is:

  1. Call emergency services immediately.
  2. Have another friend help you roll them onto their side, with their mouth downward so if they vomit, it drains out.
  3. Stay next to them, keep checking breathing, keep them warm, and give the responders clear information when they arrive.

TL;DR: For someone showing signs of alcohol poisoning, you should call emergency services immediately, stay with them, keep them awake or in the recovery position, keep them warm, and never let them “sleep it off” or try home “remedies” like coffee, cold showers, or forcing vomiting.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.