Life-threatening signs of alcohol poisoning include:
Inability to wake up
Vomiting
Slow breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
Seizures
Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness
What is a "standard drink" in the US?
12 ounces of beer 5% Alcohol
8 ounces of malt liquor 7% Alcohol
5 ounces of wine 12% Alcohol
1.5 ounces of distilled spirits 40% alcohol (80 proof) e.g., vodka, whiskey, gin, rum
SOURCE: National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Alcohol poisoning deaths are most common among middle aged adults
% Alcohol Poisoning Deaths
Ages
5%
15–24
13%
25–34
21%
35–44
34%
45–54
21%
55–64
6%
=65
Most people who die of alcohol poisoning are men
Men: 76%
Women: 24%
Most people who die of alcohol poisoning are non-Hispanic whites
White, non-Hispanic: 68%
Hispanic: 15%
Black, non-Hispanic: 9%
American Indian/Alaska Native: 7%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 2%
Values have been rounded to nearest whole number and therefore may not equal 100.
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State
Age-adjusted Rate§
Quartile 1 (5.3–6.7 death rate)
Alabama
5.3
Texas
5.4
Illinois
5.6
Virginia
5.9
Wisconsin
6.0
Idaho
6.1
Louisiana
6.2
Pennsylvania
6.5
Connecticut
6.6
Florida
6.7
Mississippi
6.7
New Hampshire
6.7
Quartile 2 (6.8–8.5 death rate)
Ohio
6.9
South Carolina
7.4
Missouri
7.7
Tennessee
7.8
Georgia
7.8
Arkansas
7.8
Maryland
7.8
Washington
8.1
Maine
8.1
Nebraska
8.1
Montana
8.5
State
Age-adjusted Rate§
Quartile 3 (8.6 – 11.8 death rate)
Indiana
8.6
North Carolina
8.6
New York
8.8
Kentucky
9.1
Kansas
9.6
Iowa
9.7
Michigan
9.7
Nevada
9.8
New Jersey
9.9
California
9.9
West Virginia
11.2
Quartile 4 (11.9 – 46.5 death rate)
Massachusetts
11.9
Oklahoma
12.6
Oregon
12.7
Colorado
14.4
Minnesota
16.4
Utah
16.7
South Dakota
17.0
Wyoming
17.7
Arizona
18.7
Rhode Island
22.8
New Mexico
32.7
Alaska
46.5
*Alcohol poisoning deaths included those occurring among those aged =15 years in which alcohol poisoning was classified as the underlying (i.e. principal) cause of death based on International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) Codes: X45 (Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol), Y15 (Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent). †The average annual number of alcohol poisoning deaths in Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, North Dakota, and Vermont were <7, and therefore, did not meet standards of reliability and precision to calculate age-adjusted death rates. §Alcohol poisoning death rates per 1,000,000 population for persons aged =15 years were age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. Census standard population.
