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F10.98 Alcohol use, unspecified with other alcohol-induced disorders. F10.980 Alcohol use, unspecified with alcohol-induced anxiety disorder; F10.981 Alcohol use, unspecified with alcohol-induced sexual dysfunction; F10.982 Alcohol use, unspecified with alcohol-induced sleep disorder; F10.988 Alcohol use, unspecified with other alcohol-induced ...
- Overview
- Try to wake them up
- If they’re not responding, call for help right away
- If they do respond, monitor them closely
- When in doubt, call for help
- The bottom line
Drinking too much, too fast increases blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Too much alcohol in the bloodstream is called alcohol poisoning. It can cause a person to pass out.
While your first instinct may be to let a friend who’s passed out sleep it off, know that things can go from bad to worse quickly when someone drinks enough to lose consciousness.
It’s true that some people will crash after a few drinks, but someone who’s just sleeping it off will be fairly easy to wake.
To try to wake them up:
•Call their name.
•Shake their shoulders.
•Pinch them — hard.
•Rub their sternum with your knuckles.
If you’re trying to wake up someone who’s passed out and they’re not responding, call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away.
A person’s BAC can continue to rise even when they’ve stopped drinking and are unconscious. This could lead to permanent brain damage or death if they don’t get help fast enough.
Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, which controls basic bodily functions like breathing and heart rate. It can also affect a person’s gag reflex.
As a result, the intoxicated person is at risk of choking on their vomit or having their heart rate and breathing turn dangerously slow or stop.
While being responsive is definitely better than being unresponsive, your friend isn’t out of the woods just yet. Remember, their BAC can keep rising and the situation can change quickly.
If you’re able to wake them up, don’t leave them alone. Alcohol affects muscle coordination and judgement, increasing the chances of injury, like falling.
There’s also still a chance that their symptoms can worsen, and they can lose consciousness or choke if they vomit.
If possible, have them sit on the ground so they can’t fall. Keep them upright or partially upright in case they do start to vomit. If they need to lie down, make sure they lie on their side.
Try to keep your friend warm, still, and calm. Avoid giving them anything to eat or drink.
Contrary to popular belief, black coffee won’t help them sober up, and neither will taking a cold shower or walking it off. Doing these things actually increases their risk of choking or falling.
You might question whether someone is drunk enough to call 911 (or worry that others will see your reaction as overkill). But it’s always better to err on the side of caution.
You might be afraid of getting yourself or your friend in trouble, especially if you’re underage or if there are illegal substances involved.
But the consequences of not getting help could be far worse. Alcohol poisoning is serious business. Without quick treatment, it can lead to permanent organ damage or death.
As for getting in trouble, keep in mind that first responders are more concerned with helping the person in need than busting someone for underage drinking or using illegal substances.
To help further put your mind at ease about the possibility of getting in trouble, many states have what’s called medical amnesty legislation. It’s also sometimes referred to as the 911 Good Samaritan Law or 911 Lifeline Law.
These laws were put in place to protect people in these very circumstances. They guarantee limited immunity for underage or intoxicated people who seek help for themselves or someone else in need of immediate medical attention.
If your friend is passed out drunk, don’t just assume they’re sleeping it off or didn’t drink enough to overdose.
Everyone processes alcohol at a different rate. Their BAC could be a lot higher than yours even if you drank the same amount.
Don’t let doubt or fear stop you from getting them the help they need and potentially saving their life.
Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a Canada-based freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. When she’s not holed up in her writing shed researching an article or off interviewing health professionals, she can be found frolicking around her beach town with husband and dogs in tow or splashing about the lake trying to master the stand-up paddle board.
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Jan 2, 2024 · Syncope is the medical term for fainting or passing out. It refers to a relatively sudden loss of consciousness, followed by a spontaneous rapid and complete recovery. If you have symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness without loss of consciousness, this is often called "presyncope" (or "near-syncope"); however, dizziness and lightheadedness ...
Jan 18, 2024 · Summary. Fainting is a sudden loss of consciousness from a lack of blood flow to the brain. It can be caused by many things, including dehydration, shock, too much alcohol, and even anxiety. While a fainting spell usually doesn't last for long, it can be associated with a life-threatening event like a heart attack.
Oct 24, 2023 · Fainting, also called syncope (pronounced SIN-ko-pee), is a sudden, brief loss of consciousness and posture caused by decreased blood flow to the brain. ... hunger, or use of alcohol or drugs ...
Apr 2, 2019 · Fainting, or passing out — a temporary loss of consciousness also known as syncope — is caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain. Some causes of syncope are fairly benign, such as from dehydration, or during a frightening or uncomfortable event, such as a blood draw. But there are potentially serious and even life-threatening causes ...
R40.4 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2024 edition of ICD-10-CM R40.4 became effective on October 1, 2023. This is the American ICD-10-CM version of R40.4 - other international versions of ICD-10 R40.4 may differ. The following code (s) above R40.4 contain annotation ...
