Posted by The Token Shop on 9/6/2023 to Recovery Resources

How Long Does Alcohol Poisoning Last?

If you've been asking, "How long does alcohol poisoning last?" then stop and read this. Learn the answer to this question here.

Keyword(s): how long does alcohol poisoning last

6 people die daily due to alcohol poisoning because of the toxic levels of alcohol in the system and what it does to the body. How long alcohol poisoning lasts is a question that many people have asked, and we're going to provide some information that will get you a step closer to that answer.

As you continue to read this brief guide, you will find helpful information and some tidbits about Alcoholics Anonymous and the disease of addiction.

The Timeline of Alcohol Poisoning

To better understand how long alcohol poisoning lasts, we should begin with the timeline. This will detail how many drinks lead to this type of poisoning, but one should understand that a number of factors can affect how quickly you're affected by alcohol.

The amount of time it takes for alcohol to empty from your body will be determined based on your:

Weight and height
Type of alcohol you're consuming
Metabolism speed
If you've eaten before drinking
Additional medications you might be taking

One cause that often leads to alcohol poisoning is binge drinking. When you're binge drinking, it's consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time.

Depending on what you're drinking, it can cause you to feel the effects quicker than other things. For example, beer won't take effect as quickly as liquor does.

Effects on the Body Caused by Alcohol

When you start consuming alcohol, as the percentage of alcohol in your body increases, the effects of alcohol will increase. From zero to five percent alcohol in the body, you'll begin to feel relaxed and experience some impairments in your speech and bodily coordination.

From six to fifteen percent, these feelings become more intense, and some people might begin to show signs of aggression. It's at this point where lack of coordination and memory continues to be affected.

The effects are still intensifying at sixteen percent, but when you enter thirty percent and above, you've entered the territory of alcohol poisoning.

Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning

If you're a recovering alcoholic, you've likely understood the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning, but we're still going to detail them for you. A person dealing with alcohol addiction experiencing alcohol poisoning will begin to exhibit irregular breath.

This could mean taking longer or between each breath, but it could also mean that your breathing can become slower. Another symptom is if a person is conscious but isn't responding to people who might be speaking to them.

Other symptoms include:

Passing out
Hard to wake
Lowered internal temperature
Clammy skin
Slowed heart rate

If you find that you or someone close to you are experiencing this continually, it's time to start looking into treatment and attending meetings like the ones provided by Alcoholics Anonymous.