Yes, they can. When I finally reached my end and KNEW I was going to die if I kept drinking and I KNEW I was going to die if I tried to stop, I wanted to die sober. I put the cap back on the bottle, there was maybe 3 or 4 swigs left in the bottle, we found it several weeks later in the back seat of my car.
That was at 4:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. At 8:00am the next morning I somehow managed to drive that piece of chit vehicle to Olive View Hospital, in Van Nuys, walk into the ER and tell them I was an alcoholic, hadn't had a drink since 4:30 the previous afternoon and something was terribly wrong.
I know this part of it, because at about a year sober I went to talk to them and get my medical chart. The gal who was on the desk was there. She said, I was green, literally, and that she pointed to a chair about 4 feet from the desk, and was hitting the 'hot' button under the desk. I didn't make it to the chair, I went into massive seizures on the floor in front of her desk. I didn't become really aware again until about 6pm that evening, when I came to in a hospital bed on the medical floor.
Turns out my BAC was .38 and my body NEEDED more alcohol. All day they tried to control the seizures. All day they had to keep restarting my heart and at 4:28pm on Monday June 8, 1981, 24 hours after I stopped drinking, the Dr was putting the TOD on my medical chart after I had been down for almost 30 minutes from the last heart stoppage. My heart started on its own.
Yes, I was given a second chance. He may not. I tell you this, because you telling him you were going to Alanon scared him enough for him to start QUACKING, or he is serious. If he is serious, and you see 'changes' of any kind in his physical person, CALL 911.
Detoxing is NOT something to be taken lightly and yes people do die from it.
J M H O
Love and hugs,