How to help someone who has drunk too much on a night out

How to spot the signs that a friend might be drinking too much on a night out, and ways you can help them.

Drinking too much can be dangerous. Having too much alcohol can have unintended consequences like being sick, getting into a fight or even very serious consequences, like being sexually assaulted or having acute alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal.

To avoid drinking too much, it’s important to follow the UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines, which advise it’s safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, spread across the week, with several drink-free days each week.

Also, binge drinking is particularly dangerous, so remember to drink less than six units in a single session.

If you think someone might be experiencing alcohol poisoning, even if you have doubts, call 999 for an ambulance.

Spotting the signs

Early signs that a friend might be drinking too much on a night out include their speech becoming slurred and being unsteady on their feet. This is because alcohol is a depressant and it slows down the brain, affecting the body’s responses.

You might also see your friend becoming increasingly irrational as alcohol affects judgement.¹ They could behave differently, becoming involved in arguments or perhaps being inappropriately sexual towards somebody.

Lowered or loss of inhibitions are a noticeable sign, for example, a normally quiet person may become loud or extravert, and a loud person even louder.

You might notice your friend is drinking more quickly than you or that there is a growing number of empty bottles or glasses around them. But don’t be fooled into thinking someone is okay if they’ve had the same number of drinks as you or less.

How much alcohol someone’s body can process depends on lots of things, including how much they have drunk, whether they drink regularly, how much they’ve eaten that day, their general health, their size, and their gender.² If you think they’ve had too much, suggest having no more, getting some air outside together and a glass of water.

Helping your friend

Acting quickly when you think your friend has had too much to drink can help avoid more serious consequences.

Remember, when someone has had too much to drink, their judgement might be impaired, so don’t get angry with your friend. Get them a glass of water or a soft drink, or even order them some food. This will stop them drinking and give their bodies time to process the alcohol.

In the future, agree a drinks limit with your friends and make sure you have some soft drinks or water. For example, for each alcoholic drink you have, you could have one or more glasses of water before and afterwards. Also, make sure you both eat a meal before you have anything to drink. You could consider setting a budget for the night or only taking limited cash with you.

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When drinking too much gets dangerous

If you think someone might be experiencing alcohol poisoning, even if you have doubts, call 999 for an ambulance.

Drinking large quantities of alcohol very quickly can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can be extremely dangerous. There is no minimum amount of alcohol a person has to drink for them to get alcohol poisoning, because alcohol affects us all differently.

Someone affected by alcohol poisoning may experience:

Vomiting
Confusion
Severely slurred speech
Irregular or slow breathing
Loss of coordination
Pale or almost blue skin due to low body temperature
Being conscious but unresponsive
Passing out and being unconscious

In the most serious cases, alcohol poisoning can result in coma or even death.³If you are concerned you or someone else has alcohol poisoning, learn more about what you should do.

6 tips to avoid drinking too much on a night out

1

Understand the UK CMOs' low risk drinking guidelines, which advise it’s safest not to drink more than 14 units a week, spreading them out through the week, with several drink free days. That’s a maximum of about six pints of 4% ABV beer or six medium (175ml) glasses of 13% ABV wine per week.

2

Track how many units you’re having using our free MyDrinkaware app.

3

Set a spending limit. Allow yourself a set amount to spend on alcohol on an evening out, so you don’t drink too much in a short space of time.

4

Eat a meal. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is never a good idea. If you know you are going to be drinking some alcohol, make sure you eat a meal before, to help dilute any alcohol you do drink and slowing its impact on your body.

5

Pace yourself. Make sure you drink at your own moderate pace. Set the example by opting out of rounds and drinking water or soft drinks as an alternative to alcohol in some rounds; or, better still, opt out of 'rounds' completely.

6

Plan your journey home in advance. You’re more likely to drink less if you set yourself a time to go home, by making sure you’re on a certain bus or train, or have booked a taxi.