Myth: The best thing for a drunk friend is to let them sleep it off.
by Lisa Frederiksen
REALTY: Alcohol is a depressant that works on the central nervous system. It slows down the heart rate, lowers the blood pressure and slows a person’s breathing rate. If a friend passes out, s/he has consumed an amount of alcohol that puts him/her dangerously close to the amount of alcohol that can kill a person. Additionally, turning a friend on their side so they won’t choke on their vomit is important, but it CANNOT halt the depressant action that’s at work on the central nervous system. Not only that, but your friend’s BAC will continue to rise after drinking is stopped, i.e., after s/he has passed out.
And while we’re on the subject of friends… a person’s drinking behaviors cause secondhand drinking (SHD) impacts for his/her friends AND family members. Friends and family members are the ones who have to try keep you safe, watch after you if you pass out, clean up after you if you puke in their car, get over their feelings being hurt by the mean things you’d said last night, live with the constant fighting about the drinking behaviors and/or recover from the consequences of unwanted or unprotected sex. Secondhand drinking can be just as destructive as alcohol misuse, and like alcohol misuse, it’s entirely preventable.
So, be safe. Protect your brain. Learn the science behind the seven myths about drinking alcohol that can kill. And then join us at BreakingTheCycles.com in changing the conversations – talk about it.
© 2010 Lisa Frederiksen, Excerpt from the 20-page booklet, titled: Seven Myths That Can Kill… by Lisa Frederiksen. All Rights Reserved.
Lisa Frederiksen
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I didn’t know that drinking in excess could be fatal until a couple years ago. When my grandfather, father, brothers would come home drunk, angry, and critical we couldn’t wait until they fell asleep to “sleep it off”.
I believed that a party without alcohol was not a party (not fun) and if someone had a dry party I’d pay my respects and leave. I was so brainwashed that I avoided friendships with people who don’t drink, considering them dull and boring without even knowing them. When I threw a party the stocked bar was more important than the food or festivities. I believed that if I supplied enough booze everyone would have great time.
You are doing great work on the diease of alcoholism/addiction, it is at pandemic levels and society needs to be educated, especially our children.
Thank you so much for your comment, Eileen… it really helps that you’re willing to share your experiences, as well.
I owe many thanks to the friends who stepped in an confronted my problem drinking when I was 27. Their caring and serious intervention got me the help that I needed. I think that it takes a lot of courage, though, to plan an alcoholic intervention. I know that they were informed beforehand, and that they had outlined steps of what to do. A real friend won’t let you “sleep it off”, but will address their concerns the “morning after”.
Excellent point, Lee — the importance of addressing concerns the “morning after.”
Thanks for your comment!