Alcohol poisoning signs and symptoms include:

• Confusion
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Slow breathing (less than eight breaths a minute)
• Irregular breathing (a gap of more than 10 seconds between breaths)
• Blue-tinged skin or pale skin
• Low body temperature (hypothermia)
• Passing out (unconsciousness) and can't be awakened

Alcohol in the form of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is found in alcoholic beverages, mouthwash, cooking extracts, some medications and certain household products. Ethyl alcohol poisoning generally results from drinking too many alcoholic beverages, especially in a short period of time.

Other forms of alcohol — including isopropyl alcohol (found in rubbing alcohol, lotions and some cleaning products) and methanol or ethylene glycol (a common ingredient in antifreeze, paints and solvents) — can cause other types of toxic poisoning that require emergency treatment.

Binge drinking

A major cause of alcohol poisoning is binge drinking — a pattern of heavy drinking when a male rapidly consumes five or more alcoholic drinks within two hours, or a female rapidly consumes at least four drinks within two hours. An alcohol binge can occur over hours or last up to several days.

You can consume a fatal dose before you pass out. Even when you're unconscious or you've stopped drinking, alcohol continues to be released from your stomach and intestines into your bloodstream, and the level of alcohol in your body continues to rise.

How much is too much?

Unlike food, which can take hours to digest, alcohol is absorbed quickly by your body — long before most other nutrients. And it takes a lot more time for your body to get rid of the alcohol you've consumed. Most alcohol is processed (metabolized) by your liver.

The more you drink, especially in a short period of time, the greater your risk of alcohol poisoning.

One drink is defined as:

• 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of regular beer (about 5 percent alcohol)
• 8 to 9 ounces (237 to 266 milliliters) of malt liquor (about 7 percent alcohol)
• 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of wine (about 12 percent alcohol)
• 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 80-proof hard liquor (about 40 percent alcohol)

Mixed drinks may contain more than one serving of alcohol and take even longer to metabolise.

A number of factors can increase your risk of alcohol poisoning, including:

• Your size and weight
• Your overall health
• Whether you've eaten recently
• Whether you're combining alcohol with other drugs
• The percentage of alcohol in your drinks
• The rate and amount of alcohol consumption
• Your tolerance level

Severe complications can result from alcohol poisoning, including:

• Choking :  Alcohol may cause vomiting. Because it depresses your gag reflex, this increases the risk of choking on vomit if you've passed out.
• Stopping breathing :  Accidentally inhaling vomit into your lungs can lead to a dangerous or fatal interruption of breathing (asphyxiation).
• Severe dehydration :  Vomiting can result in severe dehydration, leading to dangerously low blood pressure and fast heart rate.
• Seizures : Your blood sugar level may drop low enough to cause seizures.
• Hypothermia : Your body temperature may drop so low that it leads to cardiac arrest.
• Irregular heartbeat : Alcohol poisoning can cause the heart to beat irregularly or even stop.
• Brain damage : Heavy drinking may cause irreversible brain damage.
• Death : Any of the issues above can lead to death.