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Alcohol poisoning: what to do and when it is dangerous

The line between "had too much" and "poisoned" runs through consciousness: if the person can be woken and answers, it is intoxication; if not, it is poisoning, in which an hour is enough to choke on vomit or stop breathing. Surrogates and methanol are a separate story — their symptoms arrive 12–24 hours later, when everything seems over.

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What to do right now

Turn them on their side
The recovery position, so vomit cannot be inhaled. Never on the back.
Check whether they can be woken
Call loudly, shake the shoulder, rub the breastbone with your knuckles. No response means call.
Watch the breathing
Fewer than 8–10 breaths a minute, pauses, snoring with stops, blue lips — respiratory depression, call immediately.
Keep them warm
Alcohol dilates the vessels and the body cools quickly even indoors. A blanket, but no hot-water bottle.
Do not leave them
Vomiting in sleep, falls and breathing arrest all happen without witnesses. Someone must stay until morning.

Call an ambulance if

Cannot be woken, does not respond to pain
Breathing fewer than 8–10 times a minute, with pauses; blue lips
Seizures
Vomiting blood
Drank something unknown: technical fluids, counterfeit spirits, home-made alcohol of dubious origin — methanol shows up a day later with visual disturbance
A teenager or a person with heart disease heavily intoxicated
A head injury while intoxicated

What not to do

Do not lay them on their back or let them sleep face up
Do not induce vomiting in an unconscious person
Do not use coffee, cold showers or "sobering" remedies — they do not remove alcohol
Do not leave them to "sleep it off" alone

What the crew does

Assessment of consciousness, breathing, saturation and blood sugar — hypoglycaemia is common in intoxication
Gastric lavage by tube if the drink was recent and the person is conscious
Infusion, oxygen, ventilation support for respiratory depression
Admission to toxicology — in Moscow, Sklifosovsky, City Hospital 33 and Eramishantsev Hospital; immediately if methanol is suspected

This page is for information and does not replace a medical examination. If the condition worsens, call the crew: +7 (985) 887-82-52.

This page in Russian: Russian version.

Questions

How do I know it is methanol?

It begins like ordinary intoxication, then 12–24 hours later: headache, abdominal pain, "fog" or "snow" before the eyes, loss of vision. Any visual disturbance after alcohol of doubtful origin is an emergency measured in hours.

How much does a call-out for alcohol poisoning cost in Moscow?

Call-out 6,000 ₽ inside the MKAD; lavage, infusion and oxygen by the price list; transport by tariff if admission follows. Such calls are confidential.

Will you report it anywhere?

No. We provide medical care, we do not register anyone, and we do not inform employers or the police. The only exception is injuries of a criminal nature, as required by law.