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Back to Alcohol and Other Drugs page
Alcohol Related Emergencies
Indications That Someone Needs Help
The following situations are indicators that the individual needs
IMMEDIATE PROFESSIONAL EVALUATION OR ASSISTANCE.
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When to call for police or medical help
What to do when you call for help
Tips for the immediate care of an intoxicated person
Emergency Numbers
Campus Police: 706-542-2200
Ambulance/Police: 911
University Health Center: 706-542-1162
St. Mary's Hospital: 706-548-7581
Athens Regional Medical Center: 706-475-7000
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The individual:
- Is unable to stand or walk, or can do so only with difficulty
- Is breathing slow (10 or less per minute) and shallow breaths
- Is passed out or stuporous
- Has fever or chills
- Has difficulty speaking
- Has an injury
- Is paranoid, confused, or disoriented
- Is violent or threatening
- Appears to be a risk to him/herself or others
- Appears to be dehydrated, with a bluish tint to the lips and fingernails
Call for Police or Medical Help When:
- You are in doubt about what to do
- You need transportation to medical facilities
- The person you are assisting is rowdy or too unruly to handle
- The person refuses assistance and appears likely to harm him/herself or others
- The person has been using other drugs
- The person attempts to drive
When You Call for Help:
- Identify yourself
- State that you have a problem with someone who has been drinking excessively
- Give your specific location
For the Immediate Care of an Intoxicated Person:
| WHAT TO DO
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WHAT NOT TO DO
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| Stay calm. Assess the situation.
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DO NOT let your anxiety transfer to the individual in trouble.
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Keep your distance.
Before approaching or touching the person, explain what you intend to do.
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DO NOT try to walk, run, exercise the drunk person, or try to keep the person awake; DO NOT permit the person to drive.
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| Speak in a clear, firm, reassuring manner.
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DO NOT administer anything orally - food, liquid or drug - to sober the person up. THE ONLY THING THAT WILL
SOBER A DRUNK PERSON IS TIME.
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| Keep the person still and comfortable.
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DO NOT give the person a cold shower. The shock may cause him/her to pass out and sustain an injury.
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| Stay with the intoxicated person who is vomiting. Lay the person on his/her side. KEEP THE PERSON FROM SWALLOWING VOMIT.
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DO NOT attempt to constrain the person without sober assistance.
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| Monitor the person's breathing. If they are breathing less than ten breathes per minute, DO NOT LEAVE THEM.
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DO NOT laugh, ridicule, provoke, anger, or threaten the individual.
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