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Effects/Intoxication of Alcohol
When the amount of alcohol consumed exceeds the tolerance for an
individual, the person will suffer from physical and behavioural
abnormities.
General Effects of Alcohol
The following lists the common symptoms of alcohol intoxication:
Ħħ Rapid eye movement, pupils slow to respond to stimulus and become
constricted
Ħħ Slurred speech
Ħħ Impaired memory
Ħħ Impaired judgment
Ħħ Reduces activity in the central nervous systems, resulting in
loss of fine motor coordination and impaired attention and reaction
Ħħ Decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure and respiration rate
Ħħ Stupor
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication
The best way to tell whether an individual is alcohol intoxicated
is through his/her blood alcohol concentration (BAC). In the average
social drinker (defined as someone who drinks no more than 2 standard
drinks per day), there is a rough correlation between blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) and how the person acts.
The following table list the expected effects of alcohol at various
BAC levels for a typical drinker:
| BAC |
Stage |
Effects on behaviour |
| 50 mg/dL |
Sobriety |
Loss of emotional restraint, vivaciousness, feeling of warmth,
relaxation, flushing of skin, mild impairment of reaction time,
judgment and fine muscle coordination |
| 100 mg/dL |
Euphoria |
Slight slurring of speech, impaired psychomotor performance
(i.e. driving ability), impaired reaction time and judgment,
emotionally unstable, inappropriate laughter |
| 200 mg/dL |
Excitement |
Very slurred speech, staggering gait, double vision, lethargic
but able to be aroused by voice, difficulty sitting upright
in a chair, memory loss, inability to operate motor vehicle |
| 300 mg/dL |
Confusion |
Respiratory depression, deep snoring, danger of death in presence
of other CNS depressants, blackouts |
| 400 mg/dL |
Stupor
Comma
|
Comma, not able to be aroused, incontinent (wets self), low
blood pressure, irregular breathing, severe respiratory and
CV depression |
| 500 mg/dL |
Comma
Death
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Death possible, either from cessation of breathing, excessively
low blood pressure, or vomit entering the lungs without the
presence of the protective reflex to cough it out |
| (Note: The effect of alcohol varies from person
to person, and not all people exhibit all the effects.) |
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