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I have been reading alot about alcohol poisioning. My AH drinks every night to the point of passing out every single time he drinks. In reading the information he as showed several symptoms of poisoning like being unconscious, his body sometimes shakes terribly, sometimes he will stop breathing for quite a few seconds and his body expels an incredible alcohol odor.
At what point do I call 911? I have let this happen without me ever calling 911, now I am wondering how much permanent damage there is as a result of this poisoning.
Well I would presume he doesn't want help so I guess you would have to wait until he's unconscious.
I know I waited for the A I was with to fall down. He never seemd to. He certainly had legal involvement (lots of fines, court cases galore).
What about detaching and turning this over. I know I feel over responsible for others. If they won't go to get medical help there is a line they have to cross before they can be hospitalized invountarily. Believe it or not that's a pretty hard line to get to. Some people do die. Some people don't. The ex A I was with didn't. I gave up worrying because I made myself sick doing it.
Hi Desparate for Help, I do not have experience with alcohol posioning but I have found my son on the floor of his home in the condition you describe.
I did call 911 but by the time they had arrived he was up and sitting on the chair and very sober sounding. He always reminded me that he may be drunk but he was not stupid.
The EMTs asked if he wanted to go to the Hospital His answer NO They asked some silly Mental Health qustions like : What year is it, Who is the President, etc. He passed with flying colors of coarse-so no trip to ER.
I learned that the patient must agree to go to the hospital, unless he is a danger to himself or others. Unfortunately for me that was never the case.
You could ask your husband if he would like you to call 911 when you witness him in distress and he is unconcious. You can then proceed from there.
I know this is very difficult for you that is why getting to meetings, living a day at a time and prayers for guidance are usuful tools
Take care of You!!! Let Go & Let God!!! He must make the choice, for nothing you will do will help him until he is ready to recieve it... If you can find a F2F meeting I would advise one... They are a great help to many, and can help you thru your hard time!!!
The thing that will help the most is you finding an Al-Anon meeting for yourself , you will learn about the disease of alcoholism and how ts affecting you . There is nothing you can do about him as i am sure u have tried many time to reason with h im beg him to stop , threaten to leave ,n one of that works only annoys the drinker and is totally frustrating for you . My husb did what you described for years and he is just fine . smell is completely normal as alcohol comes out of every pore . he also suffered from sleep apnia for yrs while drinking - the not breathing u describe ,so he perfectly normal for an drinker . Please find help for yourself attend meetings get your life back on track and work on changing the only thing u have control over , YOUR LIFE Louise
My husband did that routine for 20+ yrs. And every morning (somehow) he would wake up and go to work. It really is true, you can't save them from themselves. Even if you did manage to get him to a hospital, chances are he'd be doing it again the very night he got home. You are powerless.
The only power you have is within.
take care, Christy
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