The image of a drunken individual may not immediately come to mind when one hears the term "drug overdose." Yet the sad reality is that 20,000 individuals die from alcohol-induced causes, and 30,000 young people require immediate medical treatment for acute alcohol poisoning each year in the United States.

How Does Alcohol Poisoning Occur?

Alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. It produces different behaviors, emotions, and physical effects as it acts upon specific parts of the brain. First affected is the cerebrum, which controls such functions as recognition, vision, reasoning, and emotion. Low amounts of alcohol reduce inhibitions and affect judgment. For example, someone who is often quiet and reserved may become loud, outspoken, and more dramatic. Others may become depressed, withdrawn, even distressed and tearful. Later, as alcohol levels rise, vision, movement, and speech...