Experts offer advice on alcohol poisoning
Editor's note: This is the second story in a three-part weekly series about emergency situations students may face. This story explains how to aid someone with alcohol poisoning.

By KELLY BRADISH
Collegian Staff Writer

Finding a roommate passed out after a night of drinking alcohol is an all-too familiar scenario for some students and could be a potentially deadly situation if that roommate has alcohol poisoning and is not properly treated.

David Clurman, residence life coordinator for Pollock, Nittany and Centre halls, said he has encountered students with alcohol poisoning. Although he cannot diagnose the problem himself, he said if a student is convulsing or vomiting and friends say the student has consumed a lot of alcohol, he calls an ambulance.

"I'd say definitely if you can't wake someone up, that's a problem," said David Jones, Office of Emergency Medical Services manager. "Call and be on the safe side."

Those who find an unresponsive person should roll the student onto his or her side to prevent the inhalation of vomit into the lungs, he said. Putting someone on his or her side allows vomit to drain from the mouth, he added.

Inhalation, or aspiration, is dangerous not only because the person could stop breathing or get an infection, but also because stomach acid could damage lung tissue, Jones said.

Joseph Canale, a HealthWorks alcohol, tobacco and other drug educator, said workshops include information about the differences between sleeping and passing out with a respiratory system slowed by alcohol consumption.

Canale (senior-computer engineering) said breathing and heart rates usually slow when someone has alcohol poisoning, but added this is not always easy to determine because everyone's rates are different.

Dr. Theodore L. Ziff, director of emergency services at Centre Community Hospital, said the staff sees a substantial number of student and adult patients with alcohol-related problems. He added although more patients arrive with alcohol-related injuries than in comas, alcohol affects the body no matter how much is consumed.

Ziff said alcohol poisoning is not a clear issue because there is a graded level of symptoms. Medication and a person's overall health can affect the symptoms' intensity, he added.

Clurman said using common sense and paying attention to how much friends drink can help prevent alcohol-related problems. He added once students realize a friend has had too much alcohol, they should tell him or her to stop drinking.

"You don't want to be the one to stop them from having a good time," he said, "but I think (stopping them is) the best way to handle it."

• Feb. 16: Accident etiquette helpful in emergency situations