Drunk what should i do

Spending time with your sober friends and family members should take priority over anyone who insists on drinking to excess.

You deserve to enjoy the holidays with people who respect you and your choices. Likewise, family and friends deserve to be able to enjoy these celebrations as well without the disruption of a relative who drinks too much. In particular, if you have children, you should prioritize enjoying authentic, low-stress time with them around the holidays.

Keep in mind, spending time with an intoxicated relative could be hurtful, emotionally damaging, and frightening for children—particularly if they witness disrespectful behavior, cursing, slurred speech, or violence.

Even if these behaviors are not directed toward them, they still have an impact on their emotional development. So, politely decline any invitations involving your relative when you suspect they will be drinking.

It can be tempting to try to connect with a relative by joining them for a drink or two. But that is rarely a good idea, especially if their behaviors when they are intoxicated bother you. Even if your relative pressures you to join them for a drink, remember that you always have a choice. Plus, drinking together will only encourage more drinking, so don't do it. Instead, use effective strategies for refusing.

Treat this situation as you would any type of peer pressure. If you do choose to drink with your relative, remember that your ability to respond appropriately will be impaired and you may end up behaving negatively. These situations also increase the likelihood that arguments and disagreements will occur.

Even if your relative doesn't get violent or abusive when drinking, dealing with their impaired communication, problematic behavior, and poor role modeling can spoil your day. Instead of trying to connect with your relative over a drink, try understanding your relative's addiction. Doing so may help you make sense of the situation. For instance, some people drink because they want to avoid negative emotions.

Then, when drinking becomes a problem for them, they can't stop without facing the reasons they started drinking in the first place. Learning how to better support your relative and communicate in a way that won't encourage more drinking also helps. In fact, family support is an important part of the recovery process and could be the first step in getting them the help they need. There are some helpful ideas to remember if you're encouraging your loved one to recognize the negative impact their drinking has on you.

Many children who grow up with a family member who drinks too much dream of rescuing them. You may even crave the person they were when sober.

Or, if you never knew them sober, you may yearn for a relationship that is everything it should be—supportive and kind. Although your support is important if your relative decides to change their drinking behavior, you can't keep them from drinking. That is a decision only they can do for themselves. Likewise, letting your relative know how much you would appreciate them quitting or cutting down on their drinking may encourage them to think about change, but it also may make them defensive.

You may even find yourself on the receiving end of unfair accusations and blame. Generally, people who drink a lot don't respond well to other people telling them to stop.

Sometimes families try an intervention , but responses to interventions are unpredictable. An approach called Community Reinforcement and Family Training CRAFT is an evidence-based method that is preferred over interventions when helping people with addiction.

The approach utilizes behavioral principles to help people find ways to reduce their loved one's alcohol or substance use and encourage them to seek help. Studies have found people with alcohol use disorder are two to three times more likely to attend treatment after four to six CRAFT sessions compared to some other approaches. The results of a clinical trial found that CRAFT was effective for helping the loved ones of alcohol-dependent individuals improve family cohesion and mental health.

There are many resources for people who misuse alcohol, including Alcoholics Anonymous. Studies show that AA participation is linked with less drinking and more periods without drinking for those who attend. The bottom line is that even if your relative tries to quit because you ask them to, they may not be successful. However, the good news is that those who are successful often cite encouragement and support from their family in helping them succeed in quitting. If you're able to, try supporting your relative in their efforts to control their drinking, without taking on sole responsibility for their behavior.

If you can't help them without having your boundaries overlooked or without your mental health suffering, you have the right to keep your distance from them.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. If you view the holidays and other celebrations with growing dread because of your relative's excessive drinking, you owe it to yourself to minimize the destructiveness of their behavior. Decide how you're going to handle the situation, talk with them about your decisions, and stick to your plan.

As difficult as it might be, you will be glad that you took steps to ensure a peaceful holiday season. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Does familial risk for alcohol use disorder predict alcohol hangover? Psychopharmacology Berl. The level of alcohol in a person's blood can continue to rise for up to 30 to 40 minutes after their last drink.

You also should not try to "sober them up" by giving them coffee or putting them under a cold shower, for example. In hospital, the person will be carefully monitored until the alcohol has left their system. Repeated vomiting and retching can lead to vomiting blood, caused by a torn blood vessel at the junction of the stomach and gullet.

Drinking too much alcohol can affect a person's judgement and put them in situations where their health and safety are at risk. Every time you drink alcohol, your liver has to filter it out of your blood. Alcohol is absorbed quickly into your body much quicker than food , but the body can only process around 1 unit of alcohol an hour.

If you drink a lot of alcohol over a short space of time, such as on a night out, your body will not have time to process it all. Alcohol poisoning can also occur if a person drinks household products that contain alcohol. Children sometimes drink these by accident. The amount of alcohol in your bloodstream, known as your blood alcohol concentration BAC , will rise. Be there for them The most important thing to do when a friend is seriously drunk is to stay with them.

Stop the booze and start the food Try to get your friend to eat something, or to drink a non-alcoholic drink. Recovery position If your friend wants to lie down, make sure they're on their side, with something behind their back to prevent them rolling over on to their back or stomach. Get them home safely Try to make sure your friend makes it home okay, even if it means having them stay over at your place for the night.

Get help If your friend loses consciousness and can't be woken, call an ambulance. How do I know if my friend is in trouble? Call if your friend is experiencing any of these symptoms. Afterwards If you're worried about your friend, or annoyed that they ruined your night, say something to them another time — there's nothing to be gained by arguing with them while they're drunk.

What can I do now? Find out more about alcohol and drugs. Get some tips on drinking responsibly. Explore other topics It's not always easy to find the right place to start.