Celebrating at parties, cheering a favorite sports team, and enjoying get-togethers after work are common ways to relax or be with friends. For some people, these occasions may also include drinking—even binge or high-intensity drinking. And when that happens, the results can be deadly.
Drinking too much and too quickly can lead to significant impairments in motor coordination, decision-making, impulse control, and other functions, increasing the risk of harm. Continuing to drink despite clear signs of significant impairments can result in an alcohol overdose.
With A Drinking Life, Hamill has written the great American proletarian memoir. Which is no small feat considering, aside from his working class roots, Hamill has become anything but a proletariat. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 95,000 deaths and 2.8 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2011 – 2015, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 29 years. 1 Further, excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years. 2 The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 were.
What Is an Alcohol Overdose?
An alcohol overdose occurs when there is so much alcohol in the bloodstream that areas of the brain controlling basic life-support functions—such as breathing, heart rate, and temperature control—begin to shut down. Symptoms of alcohol overdose include mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, vomiting, seizure, trouble breathing, slow heart rate, clammy skin, dulled responses such as no gag reflex (which prevents choking), and extremely low body temperature. Alcohol overdose can lead to permanent brain damage or death.
What tips the balance from drinking that produces impairment to drinking that puts one’s life in jeopardy varies among individuals. Age, sensitivity to alcohol (tolerance), gender, speed of drinking, medications you are taking, and amount of food eaten can all be factors.
Alcohol use and taking opioids or sedative-hypnotics, such as sleep and anti-anxiety medications, can increase your risk of an overdose. Examples of these medications include sleep aids such as zolpidem and eszopiclone, and benzodiazepines such as diazepam and alprazolam. Even drinking alcohol while taking over-the-counter antihistamines can be dangerous. Using alcohol with opioid pain relievers such as oxycodone and morphine or illicit opioids such as heroin is also a very dangerous combination. Like alcohol, these drugs suppress areas in the brain that control vital functions such as breathing. Ingesting alcohol and other drugs together intensifies their individual effects and could produce an overdose with even moderate amounts of alcohol.
Who May Be at Risk?
Anyone who consumes too much alcohol too quickly may be in danger of an alcohol overdose. This is especially true of individuals who engage in binge drinking, defined as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 percent or higher,* typically occurring after a woman consumes 4 drinks or a man consumes 5 drinks in about 2 hours;1 as well as high-intensity drinking, defined as drinking two or more times the binge-drinking thresholds for women and men.2
Teenagers and young adults who drink may be at particular risk for alcohol overdose. Research shows that teens and college-age young adults often engage in binge drinking and high-intensity drinking. Drinking such large quantities of alcohol can overwhelm the body’s ability to break down and clear alcohol from the bloodstream. This leads to rapid increases in BAC and significantly impairs brain and other bodily functions.
The Drinking Life
*A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent corresponds to .08 grams per deciliter, or .08 grams per 100 milliliters.
As BAC Increases—So Do the Risks
As blood alcohol concentration (BAC) increases, so does the effect of alcohol—as well as the risk of harm. Even small increases in BAC can decrease motor coordination, make a person feel sick, and cloud judgment. This can increase an individual’s risk of being injured from falls or car crashes, experiencing acts of violence, and engaging in unprotected or unintended sex. When BAC reaches high levels, amnesia (blackouts), loss of consciousness (passing out), and death can occur.
BAC can continue to rise even when a person stops drinking or is unconscious. Alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.
It is dangerous to assume that an unconscious person will be fine by sleeping it off. One potential danger of alcohol overdose is choking on one’s own vomit. Alcohol at very high levels can hinder signals in the brain that control automatic responses such as the gag reflex. With no gag reflex, a person who drinks to the point of passing out is in danger of choking on his or her vomit and dying from a lack of oxygen (i.e., asphyxiation). Even if the person survives, an alcohol overdose like this can lead to long-lasting brain damage.
Critical Signs and Symptoms of an Alcohol Overdose
- Mental confusion, stupor
- Difficulty remaining conscious, or inability to wake up
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Slow breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
- Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
- Slow heart rate
- Clammy skin
- Dulled responses, such as no gag reflex (which prevents choking)
- Extremely low body temperature, bluish skin color, or paleness
The Drinking Life Book
Know the Danger Signs and Act Quickly
Know the danger signals and, if you suspect that someone has an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help immediately. Do not wait for the person to have all the symptoms, and be aware that a person who has passed out can die. Don’t play doctor—cold showers, hot coffee, and walking do not reverse the effects of alcohol overdose and could actually make things worse.
While waiting for medical help to arrive:
Be prepared to provide information to the responders, including the type and amount of alcohol the person drank; other drugs he or she took, if known; and any health information that you know about the person, such as medications currently taking, allergies to medications, and any existing health conditions.
Do not leave an intoxicated person alone, as he or she is at risk of getting injured from falling or choking. Keep the person on the ground in a sitting or partially upright position rather than in a chair.
Help a person who is vomiting. Have him or her lean forward to prevent choking. If a person is unconscious or lying down, roll him or her onto one side with an ear toward the ground to prevent choking.
Stay alert to keep your friends and family safe. And remember—you can avoid the risk of an alcohol overdose by drinking responsibly if you choose to drink, or by not drinking at all.
For more information, please visit: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov
The Drunk Life
1National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. NIAAA Council approves definition of binge drinking. NIAAA Newsletter, No. 3, Winter 2004. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Newsletter/winter2004/Newsletter_Number3.pdf. Accessed September 5, 2018.
2 Hingson, R.W.; Zha, W.; and White, A.M. Drinking beyond the binge threshold: Predictors, consequences, and changes in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 52(6):717–727, 2017. PMID: 28526355
Claim
Rating
Reporting
AdvertisementsA popular September 2019 Facebook post about guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier makes a number of claims, among them that anyone serving as a Sentinel “must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives” and “cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives”:
https://www.facebook.com/waltvmoore/posts/2208773855901595
That post, archived here, was shared thousands of times. The end of the post suggested that the claim was older than Facebook, including language suggesting that it began as an email forward:
I don’t usually suggest that many emails be forwarded, but I’d be very proud if this one reached as many people as possible[.]
Of the claims made, one section stood out — the one purportedly describing lifetime restrictions for former Sentinels:
Other requirements of the Guard:
They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives.
They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn.
It is not clear how the rumor started or how long it had been circulating, but the website for the non-profit organization the Society of The Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier featured a FAQ, in which many of the very specific claims on Facebook were previously addressed.
Several of the claims made in the initial portion of the Facebook post were addressed, namely:
- [Q] How many steps does the Sentinel take during their ‘walk’ by the Tomb of the Unknowns and why?
[A] Twenty-one steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary. - [Q] Why are the Sentinel’s gloves wet?
[A] Gloves are moistened to improve the grip on the rifle.
Immediately thereafter, a section dealt with the more questionable claims — primarily that anyone who served as a guard lived with fairly large restrictions forever, and that they were forced to live in a barracks under the tomb:
- [Q] Is it true a Sentinel must commit for two years to guard the Tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives[?]
- [A] No, this is a false rumor. The average tour at the Tomb is about 18 months. However, there is NO set time for service there. Sentinels live either in a barracks on Ft. Myer (the Army post located adjacent to the cemetery) or off base if they like. They do have a living quarters under the steps of the amphitheater where they stay during their 24 hour shifts. If they are of legal age, they may drink except while on duty.
- [Q] Is it true they cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives?
- [A] Again, another false rumor.
Fort Myer is a base near Arlington, Virginia. But as the FAQ noted, Sentinels were free to live off-base “if they like,” and while the barracks do exist, they are intended to be used for 24-hour shifts.
As for the photograph of a Sentinel in the snow, the page also addressed inclement weather:
The Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are completely dedicated to their duty of guarding the Tomb. In fact, line eight of our Sentinel’s Creed refers to the “discomfort of the elements”. Because of their dedication, the weather does not bother them. In fact, it is considered an honor to walk the mat during inclement weather. It gets cold, it gets hot and the mission continues as it has unbroken since 1937.
… YES [Sentinels remain in “a blizzard or a bad thunderstorm”], but the accomplishment of the mission and welfare of the Soldier is never put at risk. The Tomb Guards have contingencies that are ready to be executed if the weather conditions ever place the Soldiers at risk of injury or death (i.e. lightning, high winds, etc). This ensures that Sentinels can continue the mission while ensuring safety. It is the responsibility of the Chain of Command from the Sergeant of the Guard to the Regimental Commander to ensure mission accomplishment and soldier welfare at all times.
Finally, the FAQ explains:
The Tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In fact, there has been a Sentinel on duty in front of the Tomb every minute of every day since 1937.
There were enough interesting elements of Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Sentinels to create viral interest in a Facebook post, and there was no need to embellish the tradition for shares. It is not true that Sentinels are forced to commit two years of their life to duty, nor are they prohibited from drinking or swearing in public for life.