Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

If people at a party or in a pub are so drunk that there is no land to sail with, they can be a danger to themselves. They are even at risk of alcohol poisoning and then they need medical attention. If you can recognize alcohol poisoning, it could mean saving someone's life; Knowing how to take care of a drunk person is therefore an essential skill for all partygoers.

To step

1. Recognize a person who has had too much. Signs of intoxication include: talking with a double tongue, unable to stand or sit upright, eager to lie down, unable to walk properly, falling over, noisy and shameless behavior, violent reactions, bloodshot eyes, alternating cold and warm, etc.
2. How much you have to take care of someone depends on how much he or she has drunk. Each situation will have to be assessed depending on the circumstances and context, but the point is that you are ready to help someone until they are out of danger.
3. Discourage more drinking. Try to distract the drunk person so that he / she does not drink any more. Lead the person away from the alcohol - go outside for some fresh air, notice that it's high time to call a cab and go to sleep, or take them to a quiet place to have a chat. Move to a quiet place without too much light.
   • If they want to drink, give them a drink that won't hurt. Give a glass of water or a drink diluted with a lot of water. Often you can give a glass of orange juice and say it is vodka gravy; they won't even notice the difference, especially when you're talking.
   • If you're with someone who tends to drink too much but hasn't had too much to drink yet, you can have them switch to a different, lighter drink, such as beer. Mixed drinks go in like lemonade and are much more difficult to dose than a (more bitter) beer. This way you can better monitor how much someone is drinking and what "level" they are at. However, it is not the way to make someone stop drinking.
   • Don't try to say anything that anger or provokes the drunk person. Be calm at all times.
   • Walking can be very difficult for someone who is drunk, so taking a walk together to sober up is usually not a good idea.
   • If the drunk person has to go to the bathroom, come along. Slipping is very easy on a damp toilet floor, of course you do not want someone to end up with their head on the hard tiles.
4. Do your best to prevent physical injury from falling, for example. Help the drunk person to sit down safely. If someone has vomiting, take them to an appropriate place to throw up.
   • If someone already has a tendency to vomit while lying down, place them on the side with the higher leg bent. This prevents choking due to vomiting. Put something behind it to prevent him / her from rolling back on the back or stomach. People can choke easily if they are lying on their back or stomach and vomit. If someone is lying on the sofa, make sure that they are not facing the back of the sofa, but the other way around: on their side with the back of the head towards the back of the sofa. Otherwise, the vomit has nowhere to go and someone could still choke on it.
   • If someone has fallen, or you find someone on the ground and you don't know if it happened before, always take them to the emergency room. You can easily sustain a head injury during a fall, the severity of the injury (for example a major concussion) is often difficult to estimate in someone who is very drunk.
5. Never let someone who is drunk fall asleep alone. Stay in the room - watch some TV or read a book, clean up, as long as you stay in the room. If you bring someone home, make sure that someone else is taking the same care of the drunk person.
   • If you cannot stay with the drunk person and there is no one else, call someone (parents, family, friends) to go and keep an eye on them. Explain the situation and the need. Stay with the person until the other arrives.
6. Regularly check whether someone is still responding. Say their name out loud, ask to open their eyes, poke and see if there is a response. See if the person is still breathing. 12-20 breaths per minute is normal.
7. Look closely for indications of alcohol poisoning. If someone is breathing too slowly (8 breaths or less per minute, or irregular breathing with 10 seconds or more between each breath) and someone no longer responds to poking and pushing, it could mean someone has alcohol intoxication. Other signs of alcohol poisoning include:
   • Fainted or sedated - unconscious or semi-conscious, unable to wake up
   • Blue lips and fingertips
   • Dehydrated
   • Rapid heartbeat
   • Vomiting while sleeping and not waking up from vomiting
   • Cold, clammy hands and feet
8. If you see these signs, it is best to call 112 immediately. Explain the situation clearly.
   • You won't get in trouble if you call the emergency number. Even if the situation turns out to be less serious than you thought, you will not get in trouble for calling emergency services or the police.
9. Always stay with the person who is drunk until emergency services arrive. Keep the person warm and check for breathing. If someone else is present who has a first aid diploma, ask them to help until the emergency services arrive.
   • Do not panic. Always stay calm. You are probably afraid yourself, but it will not do the patient any good if you convey that fear. Reassure the person in question, this also reassures yourself.
   • If the person in question is awake or conscious: always explain what you are going to do before touching someone; a drunk person can quickly become violent.
   • Never give a drunk person a drink that contains caffeine, such as tea, coffee, or worse, an energy drink. This causes someone to dry out even further. A certain drink never causes someone to sober up, that can only be done by sitting out the intoxication.
   • If someone is still there, have them wait for the ambulance so they know more quickly where you are with the drunk person.

Tips

• Do not delay calling the emergency number because the drunk person is a minor. The younger a person is, the more dangerous excessive drinking can be. The longer you wait to call in help, the worse the situation can get.
• If someone gets drunk after drinking very little, it could simply mean that someone gets drunk quickly. However, it could also mean that something was thrown into his / her drink. If you think this has happened, get help right away.
• Don't put yourself in danger while caring for someone. Never attempt to lift or catch someone taller than you. In any case, try to prevent them from hurting their head.
• Telling someone what it is like afterwards can help prevent it from happening again. Wait until the person is sober and have a good conversation.
• If someone who is drunk gets angry with themselves, you need to reassure the person, no matter how angry you are.
• If someone is vomiting, put them on their side to avoid choking on their vomit.

Warnings

• Never let someone who has had too much to drink drive away in a car. They endanger themselves, but also others.
• Do not induce vomiting in someone who is drunk.
• Never assume that people will help you this way if you have had too much to drink.
• Never force a drunk person to eat. They don't get sober and they can suffocate.
• Never put a drunk person in a cold shower. A cold shower doesn't get anyone sober and someone can go into shock.
• If in doubt, call an ambulance. Have the ambulance workers assess the seriousness of the situation and let them decide what to do.

Necessities

• A quiet space to recover
• Water
• Phone
• Blanket
• Calmness
• Cold, damp cloth (for dabbing someone's face)