Alcohol and Drug Abuse Crisis
1. An Alcohol and Drug Abuse Crisis can result from ingesting substances haphazardly or beyond an individual's normal ability to cope with the ingested amount or the consequence.
2. An alcohol or drug overdose can be rapidly fatal. Call Security & Public Safety at x7777 to request an ambulance if a person is:
- Poorly responding to stimuli
- Unconscious (no response to stimuli)
- Having difficulty breathing
- Out of control and a potential danger to self or others
- If you aren’t sure about the physical well-being of the person
3. Before approaching or touching the person having an alcohol or drug abuse crisis, identify yourself to the individual and explain what you intend to do. Talk calmly in a non-challenging manner and orient individual to time, place, and condition if needed. Try to find out what the individual has consumed and how much, including whether alcohol was mixed with other drugs (prescription medication or illegal drugs) so responding emergency personnel can be informed.
4. Make certain someone stays with individual. If the individual wishes to lie down, have person lie on his/her left side to avoid asphyxiation.
5. If the person is convulsing, do not attempt to put any object in the mouth and do not restrain.
6. People who are under the influence of alcohol/drugs can be irrational and /or dangerous. Never put yourself at physical risk.
