How to take care of a drunk person without making things worse

You’re at the house party, or maybe a wedding, or just a dive bar on a Tuesday, and suddenly you’re the designated "responsible one" because your friend can’t hit the floor without missing. It’s stressful. Honestly, it’s kinda terrifying when someone you care about starts losing their motor skills and their ability to form a coherent sentence. You want to help, but there’s a massive difference between "sleeping it off" and a medical emergency.

Most people think they know how to take care of a drunk person. They think of coffee, cold showers, or just letting them crash on the sofa. Those are actually some of the worst things you can do. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. When someone has too much, their body starts shutting down basic functions like the gag reflex and breathing. If you handle it wrong, a fun night out turns into a 911 call—or worse.

The myths that actually hurt people

Let’s kill the "sobering up" myths immediately. You cannot speed up the liver. It processes alcohol at a fixed rate of roughly one standard drink per hour. You can't negotiate with biology.

Feeding someone black coffee? Now you just have a wide-awake drunk person who is also dehydrated. Coffee is a diuretic. Alcohol is a diuretic. Mixing them is a recipe for a brutal hangover and potential heart palpitations. What about a cold shower? That’s a great way to induce shock or cause a slip-and-fall head injury. Their body temperature is already struggling to regulate because of the vasodilation caused by the ethanol. Don't freeze them.

And please, stop the "walk it off" method. If someone is stumbling, forcing them to walk just increases the chance they’ll crack their skull on a curb. If they can’t stand, they shouldn't be standing.

Checking for alcohol poisoning (The Bacchus Maneuver)

The most critical part of how to take care of a drunk person is knowing when "drunk" becomes "poisoned." Alcohol poisoning is a clinical overdose. You need to look for the "PUBS" signs, an acronym often used by health educators at universities like Colorado State.

• P - Puking while passed out. This is the biggest killer.
• U - Unresponsive. If you pinch their arm or shout their name and they don't budge, that’s a coma, not a nap.
• B - Breathing is slow or irregular. We’re talking fewer than eight breaths a minute or gaps of ten seconds between breaths.
• S - Skin is blue, pale, or cold.

If you see these, stop reading this and call emergency services. Don't worry about them getting in trouble. Most places have "Good Samaritan" laws that protect people seeking medical help for overdoses.

The Recovery Position: Saving a life with a tilt

If they are breathing fine but they’re "spinning" or unconscious, you have to use the Bacchus Maneuver, also known as the recovery position. When someone is heavily intoxicated, their gag reflex fails. If they vomit while lying on their back, they will inhale it. This leads to aspiration pneumonia or immediate choking.

1. Take their arm closest to you and move it straight out, like they’re signaling a turn.
2. Tuck their other hand under their cheek.
3. Bend their far knee at a right angle.
4. Roll them toward you onto their side.

This keeps the airway open. If they get sick, gravity does the work for them. It’s simple. It’s effective. It’s literally the difference between life and death in many cases.

Hydration and the "Bread" Myth

You’ve probably heard that eating bread "soaks up" the alcohol. That’s not really how it works. Once the alcohol is in the bloodstream, a sourdough loaf isn't going to sponge it out of the veins. Food only helps if it’s in the stomach before or during drinking because it slows down the rate of absorption into the small intestine.

However, water is your best friend. But don’t force it. If they are semiconscious, don't try to make them chug water; they might breathe it into their lungs. If they’re awake enough to sip, give them water or something with electrolytes like Gatorade or Liquid I.V. Alcohol blocks the antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which is why you pee so much when you drink. You’re losing salt and potassium. Replacing those can help mitigate the neurological "fogginess."

The psychological side: Dealing with the "Mean Drunk"

Sometimes taking care of someone isn't about medical safety; it's about crisis management. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and can trigger intense "amygdala hijack," where the emotional center of the brain takes over.

Don't argue. You can't win an argument with someone whose prefrontal cortex is offline. If they want to go for a drive, don't just say "no"—take the keys and hide them before they even realize they're missing. Use distraction. "Hey, let's go find some food" works way better than "You're too drunk to be here."

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Keep the environment low-stim. Turn down the music. Dim the lights. Too much noise can lead to agitation or "spinning" (vertigo). If they are getting aggressive, give them space but keep them in your line of sight. Never leave a severely intoxicated person alone. People have drowned in inches of water or choked on their own tongues because no one was watching.

When to call the professionals

We often hesitate to call 911 because we don't want to "ruin the night" or deal with the bill. But look at it this way: a hospital bill is better than a funeral. According to the NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism), thousands of people die every year from alcohol-related incidents that were preventable.

If you can't wake them up with a firm knuckle-rub on their sternum (the "sternal rub"), they are in danger. If their pulse is weak or incredibly fast, their heart is struggling. If they start seizing, it's an immediate emergency.

Practical next steps for the "Day After"

Once the immediate danger has passed and they are sleeping safely in the recovery position, your job isn't quite done. Monitor them every 15 to 30 minutes. Alcohol levels can actually continue to rise even after someone stops drinking as the stomach finishes emptying into the bloodstream.

• Check breathing: Watch the chest rise and fall.
• Temperature check: Feel their forehead. If they are clammy and cold, get a blanket, but don't use an electric heating pad; they might burn themselves and not feel it.
• Morning meds: When they wake up, avoid Tylenol (Acetaminophen). The combination of lingering alcohol and Acetaminophen is brutal on the liver. Use Ibuprofen instead for the headache, provided they don't have an upset stomach.
• The "Post-Game": Later, talk to them about it. Not to shame them, but because if this is a recurring theme, it’s a health issue, not just a "wild night."

Being a good friend means being the one who stays sober enough to keep everyone else breathing. It sucks, and it’s a lot of responsibility, but knowing these specific steps turns a chaotic situation into a managed one. Keep them on their side, keep them hydrated if they're awake, and never, ever leave them to "sleep it off" alone if they’re truly hammered.

Immediate Action Checklist:

1. Perform a sternal rub to check responsiveness.
2. Roll them into the recovery position (on their side).
3. Check for the PUBS signs (Puking, Unresponsive, Breathing slow, Skin blue).
4. Remove their shoes and restrictive clothing, but keep them warm.
5. If they are unconscious or breathing less than 8 times a minute, call 911 immediately.
6. Stay with them until they are either fully sober or under medical care.