Crime & Safety

After Teen Drinking Arrest, Police Warn of Alcohol Poisoning

Wyckoff Police Chief Fox: "Every year we send two or three teenagers to the hospital."

In light of a recent arrest of a Wyckoff teenager, township officials have issued a serious warning to minors who are drinking alcohol or thinking about drinking alcohol to excess.

officers responded to an Old Woods Road home on a report of a loud party at 11 p.m. on Friday, May 25. Sgt. Michael Ragucci and Patrolman William Plisich arrived on the scene and determined that a 19-year-old female was hosting a party with approximately 15 individuals present — many of whom scattered upon the arrival of the police officers, cops said.

Police charged the 19-year-old with making property available to persons under the legal drinking age to consume alcohol.

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"Every year we send two or three teenagers to the hospital because their blood alcohol content is so high that they are unconscious or incapable of walking," Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said Thursday.

Fox said that teens can choose to drink in excess to show off to their friends or because they don't have the maturity to know what excessive alcohol can do to them.

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"It can kill," Fox said.

Teenage drinking is more common during the summer according to Fox, who added that prevention starts with parents.

"Parents need to control teenage parties," he said. "The personal liability they incur if someone is injured or killed because of underage drinking is tremendous. That includes someone who is drinking at their home, then leaves in a car and injures or kills someone in a motor vehicle crash."

The township also released a public notification this week regarding the dangers of alcohol poisoning.

Deaths have occurred because friends or family members assumed that a person who has had too much to drink would "sleep off" their intoxication when in fact they had alcohol poisoning.

"If a person drinks too much alcohol before falling asleep, the alcohol will shut down breathing and heart functions and kill a person within a few hours. Even if a person does not die, alcohol overdose can lead to irreversible brain damage," according to the township's release, which is printed in full below:

Celebrations, hazing and challenges or dares many times involve the abuse of alcoholic beverages, which should never be condoned. These activities, however, commonly encourage young people to consume more alcohol than their bodies can process. The result of consuming 21 shots in an hour to celebrate turning 21 or consuming a full bottle of alcohol on a dare are typical scenarios for causing alcohol poisoning. Until recently alcohol poisoning was downplayed by colleges where the college did not want “bad publicity”. Information from Remove Intoxicated Drivers estimates that as many as 4,000 deaths occur each year from alcohol overdosing. Many deaths are first-time drinkers who had never had alcohol before. However, in the past Death Certificates listed cardiac arrest or asphyxiation as the cause of death. Medical examiners were hesitant to tell grieving families that the cause of death was too much alcohol.  This is changing as organizations are trying to provide information about the dangers of drinking alcohol.

Your friend has had too much to drink and has passed out. Some people may laugh at the behavior of others and often think it’s even funnier when someone passes out.  How can you tell if they are suffering from alcohol poisoning? If they are passed out or sleeping and cannot be awakened. Several deaths have occurred because friends or family members assumed that the victim would “sleep it off”. If a person drinks too much alcohol before falling asleep, the alcohol will shut down breathing and heart functions and kill a person within a few hours. Even if a person does not die, alcohol overdose can lead to irreversible brain damage.

 Some critical signs of alcohol poisoning:

  • Mental confusion, stupor
  • No response to pinching the skin
  • Vomiting while sleeping
  • Seizures
  • Slow or irregular breathing
  • Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness.

Some common myths about alcohol poisoning:

  • Drinking coffee will sober the person up.
  • Taking a cold shower or bath
  • Sleeping it off
  • Walking it off 

What should you do if you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning? 

  • Call 911 immediately. Time is critical and a quick response may save a life.
  • Do not leave the person alone. Continue to try to revive them.
  • Turn the person on their side to prevent them from choking if they vomit.
  • Monitor their breathing closely. If they stop breathing, have someone begin CPR.
  • Tell the Emergency Medical Technicians the symptoms and the amount of alcohol the person has consumed.

 

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Joseph M. Gerace at Joseph.Gerace@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.


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