Alegra

HI -
I'm really new here - really new to the whole idea of alcoholism. My husband has been drinking - a lot lately. Hasn't been going to work, been basically checking out of life and into the bottle.

We got in a slight argument this evening and the next thing I know he's off in his car. An hour goes by and several calls to his cell phone and he didn't reply/answer. I went outside and he was sitting in his car, seat reclined. I approached the car and he had his head back, just lying there.

I opened the car door and asked if he was ok and to come in the house. He didn't really acknowledge either. I eventually coaxed him into the house, after finding a 750ml bottle of vodka 3/4 of the way consumed. I dumped the rest and as soon as came inside he made a bee-line for the bed. He's lying there now passed out.

I'm pretty scared. I'm nervous he's going to die. Can you die from consuming that much alcohol in one sitting? We used to drink from time to time, but nothing like this. I feel like this is so out of my league.

Help.

TryingSoHard

Hi Alegra,

Welcome to SR. I think you'll find lots of very friendly and supportive people here; lots of people who understand and can relate. You are certainly free to post here in this section, but if you go to the Friends and Family of Alcoholics forum you'll get feedback from people who have walked in your shoes (and that's always very helpful).

I'm very sorry to hear about what has happened with your husband tonight. I was a secret vodka drinker (well, I'd drink anything, but vodka was what I hid and drank the most of), and I probably could have polished off 3/4 of a bottle like that, too. That IS a lot of alcohol for one sitting, though. Do you know the time frame in which that was consumed? Do you know for a fact that the bottle was full when he started? If he did in fact drink 3/4 of a 750ml bottle in an hour he could definitely have some medical issues (I would think - I am not a doctor). Is he responsive at all? If you have ANY DOUBT whatsoever about his health, please do not hesitate to call 911 or bring him to an ER if you can do that on your own. Even if he's been drinking a lot and has built up a tolerance, he can still get alcohol poisoning.

I wish you and your husband well.

flutter

Yikes.

I know I drank less than that one day (but PLENTY), and ended up in the ER with a .57 BAC... fatalities can start around .30

I had been drinking about that much, for a long time... for some reason that one pushed me almost totally over the edge.

Thank god my husband called 911, I would have died otherwise.

Please call someone for help.. I was even still conscious, talking, and walking as the ambulance showed up.

I lived thru the alcohol poisoning, but then there was the withdrawal. I was pumped full of IVs with vitamins and given anti seizure medication, as it was likely to happen given the amount of alcohol my body had processed.

Nightmarish stuff... I wish you the best.

Alegra

Thank you Trying. I appreciate it. I will swing by the family and friends section. I feel so desperate.

I don't know if it was full when he started. I'm assuming it was, but I don't know for sure. He consummed it within an hour's time.

I'm hoping he vomits it all up.

Anna

Hi and Welcome,

You should take your husband to the ER if you are concerned about his condition.

I hope you will also seek support for yourself.

TryingSoHard

Please do not consider this ANY substitute for medical attention, but if you're curious about what he could have done to his blood alcohol level by drinking that much in that short of a time, look at this:

R U Pissed? - Online Breathalyzer Test and Blood Alcohol Content/Level Calculator - Hangover Cures

Please, please consider calling an ambulance if you are concerned about his well-being. This is serious stuff.

Alegra

I just went in to check on him and he is responsive. he answered my questions and acknowldeged me. I'm just so worried. I worry about a lot of stuff though so I don't know if I'm over reacting, under reacting. I'm just all torn up.

yeahgr8

If he did it in an hour then he should be throwing at some point if he isn't used to drinking. He should really be drinking fluids IMO but if he is passed out i would just check on him from time to time if you are still worried.

Doing 3/4 bottle of vodka in an hour is pretty ******* stupid even for me and i was drinking everyday! I could easily do it in a night but that sounds like that, as well as the alcohol problem, he needs to see someone before he hurts himself?!

Saw your last posts whilst writing this, all good then, he ain't gonna feelñ great in the morning though lol! Keep the enpty bottle maybe you could whack him one when he feels better to remind him not to do it again tomorrow;-)

TryingSoHard

Understandably so. *hugs*

TryingSoHard

Perhaps see if you can get him to tell you whether or not the bottle was full when he started drinking an hour ago. That really is a LOT of booze for an hour (for a DAY, even ). His BAC level will continue to rise even after he stops drinking so he's not out of danger yet.

Alegra

So (perhaps I should be posting this in the family section) how do I get him to see someone? How do you get someone help? He doesn't want help. He wants to drink himself into oblivion.

flutter

911

Alegra

Ok. I just asked him if that was a new bottle of vodka - he said no. Then I said did you drink all of that in the last hour? He said no. I said did you have like four or five drinks from it? He said yeah. I said so you didn't drink it all at once? He said, I don't know.

blech. At least he's answering my questions and talking to me, even if it isn't coherent. I asked if he wanted some water he said no. I left some by his bed anyone.

I hope he starts to throw it all up soon. I can't take this.
I can only imagine the pain he is in that would cause him to do this to himself.

exbartender

Hi Alegra,

Had he eaten dinner before drinking? That can make a big difference in the absorption rate, as drinking on an empty stomach is more dangerous and is NEVER a good idea. (Speaking from experience...)

If he is withdrawing into drinking alone, some counseling would probably be a good idea, for BOTH of you.

...but I'm not a doctor, and I'm still fairly new here too, so I will defer to those members here with WAY more experience in helping others with these issues.

Good luck to you!

Latte

I would call 911 if I was worried about my spouse and whether or not they had alcohol poisoning.

yeahgr8

Sorry on your last point, he could go and see an alcohol counseller like I am who will be experienced in manay other fields too like depression, anxiety etc. I found my one in Spain on the Internet so they must be everywhere. It would help to identify what is going on inside as well as addressing the alcohol problem.

Also, of course, AA hold meetings regularly and he could go to these too! To be honest I went the counseller route as i was a bit scared to go AA, but I will be going to AA this year anyway.

If he does not want help at all then you are, as you say, probably best to go to the family and friends section as i am an alchie and won't be too much help for you from that perspective.

Keep coming here to SR and posting though, you will find A LOT of support wherever you choose to post:-)

TryingSoHard

Duplicate post - please delete. Thanks.

TryingSoHard

Unfortunately, YOU don't. He has to want help for himself. You can't force him into anything, really. This is where the F&F section will come in handy - although it might not hurt to hear it from our perspectives as well. But honestly, you can't do this for him, as difficult as that is to accept.

You CAN, however, help yourself. Al-Anon is great for that. Please don't forget to take care of yourself during all of this.

TryingSoHard

I wouldn't put too much faith in the puking-it-all-up theory. Most of it has been absorbed into his bloodstream by now, most likely. He may puke, sure, but he won't be puking up the alcohol. If he can't tell you how much he drank and he won't drink water, you may seriously want to consider taking him to a hospital. I do sincerely hope he's ok.

Alegra

He has responded to my questioning and he drank over 2 pints of water. I'm going to put another one by the bed. He's been good about drinking that. He also ate 5 pieces of pizza prior to consuming the alcohol - within 30 minutes of drinking. I'm hoping that has helped the absorption rate. I've been checking on him and speaking with him hourly.

Thanks everyone!