Wine poisoning

Wine is an aromatic alcoholic drink with an exquisite taste based on grapes or fruit and berry raw materials. Low strength and excellent taste qualities make it popular among both men and women. Many people know that a couple of glasses of sweet or semi-sweet wine can give you a headache in the morning, and the same amount of dry wine can cause heartburn. People usually do not expect more danger from wine, believing that you can mainly get poisoned by "bootleg" vodka. But reality turns out to be harsh for fans of elite drinks, and wine poisoning happens not as rarely as one might assume.

Moreover, we are not talking about a morning hangover after a stormy feast with an abundance of alcohol or intoxication due to the consumption of large volumes of strong drinks, but about poisoning by some components that may be part of the wine. And it does not matter whether they were formed as a result of a violation of the technology of preparation and storage of wines or due to the expiration of the shelf life of the drink.

A noble drink with an exquisite taste

If you delve into history, you will notice that wine is one of the most ancient alcoholic beverages, mentioned in the Bible. And probably not only the pleasant taste or lightness in the head attracted royalty and ordinary people to this amazing drink, which was recognized even by the church. Wine is one of the few natural drinks that are healthy for the body and its relatively low strength (12-17%) does not detract from its qualities.

To tell about all the beneficial properties of white and red wine, you need to write a separate article. Let's just say that red wine serves as a preventive measure against oncological pathologies, prevents atherosclerosis and thrombosis, helps with colds, diarrhea, insomnia, increases hemoglobin. White wine improves digestion, dilates blood vessels, helps the lungs and heart function, normalizes metabolism, and is a good antioxidant.

But we are talking about real wine, which is made from pure water, fruits and berries by fermentation. In this case, most of the useful substances from the plant material pass into the drink. The color of the wine depends on the components included in it. Apple wine usually has a yellowish color of varying saturation, and grape wine, depending on the color of the fruit, can be either pale yellow or amber or burgundy. It is clear that the taste of wine also depends on the type of raw materials used for its preparation.

The basis of wine drinks is considered to be water, the volume of which in wine is slightly less than 50%. The content of the extract of plant raw materials can vary significantly depending on the type of wine. It is clear that wines, the production of which is put on stream, can contain other additives, but they should in no case provoke wine poisoning. We are not talking about abuse, when even ordinary ethyl alcohol becomes a poison for the body and causes intoxication.

To make wine, they use fully ripened fruits that have accumulated a sufficient amount of sugar, which are sorted, washed, and cleared of twigs and stems. According to the technology, all the stones must also be removed. The crushed mass is placed in a special vat and antimicrobial components are added, preventing the future wine from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria, i.e. poison.

The temperature in the room where the vats with grapes or other raw materials are located is maintained at about 20-22 degrees to ensure the fermentation process. After a few days, the wine starter will be ready. If we talk about grape wine, this is actually fermented grape juice.

Grape wine made from natural raw materials (and it is considered the most popular) contains many useful components:

• essential microelements for the body (Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn – 24 microelements in total),
• mineral salts (these are salts of sodium, potassium and calcium, magnesium and phosphorus ),
• vitamins (wine is especially rich in B vitamins, contains vitamins C, PP, P),
• polyphenols (these substances serve as a preventative measure against cardiovascular pathologies, cancer and senile dementia ),

In addition, the wine contains various organic acids, alcohols (in addition to ethyl alcohol, wine may contain small amounts of methyl, propyl, amyl and butyl alcohol, which does not always indicate a dangerous counterfeit, but rather the characteristics of certain grape varieties), fast carbohydrates (due to the high content of fructose and glucose).

The content of some substances undesirable for the body in natural wine is very low, so moderate doses of the drink are not capable of causing severe negative reactions from the body. Another matter if the quality of the wine leaves much to be desired, and its taste and color are improved by harmful synthetic additives.

Natural drink or dangerous counterfeit

The technologies for making different types of wine may differ slightly, but in order for the drink to obtain the necessary properties and remain safe for humans, they must be strictly observed. But compliance with wine production technology is controlled mainly at wineries. Such certified products, when consumed in moderation, are not capable of causing wine poisoning.

Another thing is homemade wine, the quality of which is monitored only by the one who produces it. But it is one thing to make wine for yourself, and another to sell it.

The situation is even worse with the products of illegal "factories", which are most often located in basements or abandoned premises, where no sanitary and hygienic standards are observed. The organizers of such production are not interested in the quality of the products. They are interested in volumes and the money earned from them. It is clear that in this case it is impossible to talk about high-quality natural raw materials, because their cost cannot be low. It is easier to use waste from juice preparation (cake) and synthetic additives.

As we can see, cunning entrepreneurs counterfeit not only vodka and cognac, as previously thought, but also such a noble drink as wine. Moreover, there are many such cases. Counterfeiting of alcoholic beverages is a very profitable business, because the demand for alcoholic beverages does not decrease even during the crisis, and when using "special" technologies, the costs of producing wine products are very low.

For example, you can use not fresh selected natural raw materials, but sour must. It is clear that the taste of such wine will not be the most pleasant, unless you are a fan of sourness. But if you reduce the content of the leaven and increase the percentage of water, seasoning everything with regular sugar, the result can be quite decent. True, you will have to fork out a little on sugar.

To reduce the acidity of the starter a little, sometimes alkalis are added to it, and the taste is compensated again by sugar. In this case, you can also save on sweetener.

To prepare the starter, you can use not grapes or other fruits, but their waste with seeds. On the basis of this cheap raw material and sugar, they make fruit or berry syrup, which is left in a warm place to ferment. The taste can be quite decent, there are no harmful additives in such wine, if you do not count the high content of fast carbohydrates and substances contained in the seeds, but you will not get any benefit from the drink either.

To speed up the fermentation time (and the volumes depend on this), some craftsmen use synthetic glycerin, which in high concentrations can lead to symptoms of wine poisoning. They also try to correct the taste of wine with this substance if it turns out bitter or excessively sour.

In principle, the easiest way is not to bother with making the drink, but to buy cheap wine, dilute it with water and, using inexpensive chemical dyes that are harmful to the body, “ennoble” the drink, giving it a rich amber or burgundy color. All that remains is to stick on the appropriate label from an expensive noble drink, a fake excise stamp and sell the goods to narrow-minded owners of retail outlets who are led by the comparative cheapness of such products, without thinking much about their quality.

It is important to understand that the wine that ends up on store shelves is mostly not wine. Probably, many people know that age is an indicator of strength for wine. The older the wine, the stronger (more mature) it is. That is, the concept of shelf life for such a drink should not exist, especially if it is stored under appropriate conditions.

But storing wine is a whole science. Everything is taken into account: the material of the container (glass), the correct position of the bottle, the appropriate temperature, humidity and lighting in the room where the wine is stored. If all the conditions for storing wine are met, it can be preserved for centuries.

But for wine drinks, which contain various and sometimes not the most useful additives, the expiration date plays a big role. As well as for fakes of expensive wines, where they saved on antibacterial agents, which are necessary based on the sanitary and hygienic conditions in which such wine is produced.

Nowadays, you can see the expiration date on almost every bottle of wine bought in a store. But it is unlikely that you can tell a fake by this inscription alone. The expiration date can also be stamped on quality wine, although in this case it is a simple formality, taking into account that the drink can be stored under unsuitable storage conditions (standardly it ranges from 1 to 2 years, which is enshrined in law). Heat and sunlight after some time can activate undesirable processes in the drink, and it simply turns sour. In principle, the same can be observed in an open bottle of wine, but under the influence of oxygen, putrefactive processes occur much faster, so the wine becomes unfit for consumption after 4-5 days.

So how can a person who knows little about the subtleties of taste and product packaging distinguish a fake from a quality wine? What should alert you first?

• You need to understand that a quality product from a well-known manufacturer will cost a lot of money. And if such a product is offered to you at a suspiciously low price, you should think about it. The excuse that this is the purchase price is often very far from the truth.
• The expiration date is information that may well be absent from the label. But the bottling date must be marked without fail and not with ink (it is applied to the label in printed font using a special device).
• The cork should not have any serious defects or fit into the neck of the bottle crookedly, and there should be no wine stains on the bottle, indicating that the packaging is not hermetically sealed.
• When the wine has already been purchased or received as a gift, you can check its quality at home by its aroma (a slightly tart, pleasant aroma without foreign chemical odors indicates natural grape wine) and sediment (wine poured into a glass and left for some time should remain evenly colored without a persistent sediment on the glassware). As for the smell, you should be wary of a too pronounced aroma, the smell of "chemistry", alcohol or vinegar.

The easiest way to buy wine is in specialized stores and supermarkets with trusted suppliers. In these cases, there is less chance of encountering a fake and getting serious wine poisoning, which can also cost lives if the drink contains a decent amount of methyl alcohol.

Epidemiology

In statistical terms, each adult drinks between 5 and 10 liters of alcohol per year, the lion's share of which is wine. And if we also consider that no major holiday is complete without this noble drink, of which there can be more than a dozen during the year, including birthdays of the family and each of its members, then the probability of wine poisoning is not so small. Especially considering that in times of crisis, everyone tries to save money if possible, at least on the purchase of non-essential products. And cheap alcohol of dubious quality is a direct path to a hospital bed.

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Risk factors

The risk factor for wine poisoning is the production and drinking of home-made wines. And wine made from fruits containing seeds is especially dangerous. In principle, poisoning with hydrocyanic acid is as severe as intoxication with cheap non-food alcohols, which are often included in counterfeit alcoholic products, and has equally severe consequences.

The worst thing is that a person who produces and sells his own wine may not even suspect the danger he exposes himself and others to. Regularly consuming such toxic wine, even in small quantities, can bring the body to a terrible state, and from the abundant libation of wine into the body, one can simply die.

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Pathogenesis

After drinking a bottle of good wine, a person is unlikely to feel unwell due to the toxic effects of its components on the body, or even a slight hangover. Rather, on the contrary, a healthy and tasty drink will help relieve accumulated tension and stress, improve mood, saturate the body with useful substances, and help prevent some diseases.

It is clear that it is not worth placing great hopes on serial drinks, which have filled the shelves of grocery stores everywhere. Usually, such wine, even at legal enterprises, is not prepared according to the old recipes that famous winemakers were so proud of. For them, making wine was a kind of creativity, and the technology was the property of the family.

Today, wine is preferred to be made using a simplified technology. The plant material is usually grape, apple or other types of juice, which in turn may already contain dyes and preservatives. And ethyl alcohol acts as a natural preservative. And it is good if such a drink does not contain additional components.

You can only get poisoned by such wine if you store it incorrectly or consume an expired product. In this case, it is worth remembering the expiration date. Although the product at first glance resembles wine, the technology of its production is completely different, without fermentation and the formation of a natural preservative, which can store the drink for decades. Fruit and berry juices, even those made from concentrate, have a limited shelf life, which cannot be significantly increased by adding alcohol alone, so wine drinks based on them cannot be stored for a long time.

After the expiration date, you can't be sure of the chemical composition of the wine drink. It is quite possible that its fermentation can lead to the formation of substances harmful to the body, which will lead to intoxication of the body if you drink expired wine. When the expiration date passes, a completely harmless, although not very healthy drink can easily turn into a slow-acting poison.

As for the various types of wine, dry wine is considered the least likely to cause poisoning. And it is not at all that this wine is considered less healthy, so it is bought less often. It is just that the sour smell of the alcoholic drink does not attract all wine lovers. Dry wine must have a subtle taste to be liked. It is clear that the demand for such a product is lower than for sweet and semi-sweet wines.

Counterfeiting such wine is unprofitable, and also quite difficult. As we have already said, the taste of the counterfeit is corrected mainly by sugar, and there should be very little of it in dry wine, otherwise it will immediately arouse suspicion. And you can poison yourself with factory powdered wine only after the expiration date. And such poisoning usually occurs in a mild form.

If the storage terms and conditions are observed, poisoning with white dessert wine is unlikely. They contain little sugar, there is no point in adding dyes to them, except perhaps preservatives. But you need to understand that a fake may well contain artificial glycerin, which can cause headaches (one of the symptoms of intoxication).

The most likely option is to buy low-quality wine of a rich burgundy color, sweet and semi-sweet varieties. But aren't these the wines that many people love? Moreover, a glass of red wine a day helps strengthen blood vessels, helps fight viruses and infections, and has a general strengthening effect.

And since the demand for such wine is quite high, it is the one that is counterfeited most actively, using various surrogates: flavor correctors, dyes, large amounts of sugar. Depending on the components used, red wine poisoning can be mild or severe.

In principle, white wines with a sweet taste are often counterfeited. They are simply made with fewer dyes - chemicals that are dangerous to humans. But the sugar content in such wines is still too high. In addition, there is a danger that the drink contains not ethyl, but, for example, cheaper methyl or butyl alcohol, which is considered a poison due to its severe toxic effect on the body.

Toxic alcohols can be used to counterfeit any type of wine in order to make products cheaper. The lack of a specific shade makes it impossible to distinguish such wines from real ones by eye, which is the great danger of buying counterfeit goods. But poisoning with wine containing alcohols that are not used in the food industry due to their negative impact on the body is very severe and often leads to death.

Saving on good wines can have dire consequences, especially when cheap but dangerous fakes are on the festive table and guests pour them into glasses. In this case, mass poisoning with surrogate alcohol is possible, which also has psychologically severe consequences, which we will discuss later.

Another problem may be home-made wines. On the one hand, one can hope that this is a completely natural product of good quality, since most often the same wine is used for sale and for oneself. If sanitary and hygienic standards, preparation and storage technology are observed, such wine can really be considered a very healthy drink. But it is worth noting right away that there are many prerequisites that make poisoning with homemade wine quite likely, and here are the main ones:

• the storage conditions for homemade wine do not always meet the requirements (there are no special rooms, so the wine can, at best, just stand in the pantry),
• in the absence of glass containers, they are poured into more accessible and convenient plastic bottles, which is undesirable even taking into account the fact that PET containers are not recommended for reuse (not to mention the possible reactions of acids contained in wine with plastic components),
• wine is often sold on open shelves (the drink can be left in the heat for several days, exposed to the effects of sunlight),
• When making wine, a very important requirement is often not observed, allowing the drink to retain its properties for a long time and be safe for the human body (of course, if consumed in reasonable quantities). We are talking about removing the seeds. As far as grapes are concerned, there is nothing to be afraid of, because they do not contain harmful components. However, grape seeds, rich in healthy oils, can cause premature spoilage of wine, leading to poisoning.

Things are much worse if wine is made from fruits with pits, simply because there is no desire to mess around with extracting them from the fruit. Remember how long can you store fruit preserves with pits? No more than a year. And why? Because during longer storage, the pits release a large amount of hydrocyanic acid, an extremely toxic substance that causes severe poisoning.

This same substance and some others can be released during the fermentation process of raw materials, remaining in the finished wine and making it unfit for consumption. Buying such wine and then drinking it is equivalent to a suicide attempt, because a large amount of hydrocyanic acid can lead to death within a quarter of an hour. Only a miracle can save a person in such conditions, given the slowness of our "ambulance".

But it is important to understand that the severity of poisoning does not always depend on the type of wine. Its composition and the amount of the drink consumed are of greater importance. The probability of poisoning by just a little sip of a noble drink is very small. But having drunk a couple of bottles of wine from a well-known manufacturer, you risk poisoning with ordinary ethyl alcohol even without harmful additives in the product.

The point is that the basis of the pathogenesis of wine poisoning is the intoxication of the body with harmful substances contained in the drink initially or formed during its storage. And the higher the content of such harmful components, the more dangerous the drink. But it is important not only how much of this poison is contained in the wine, but also how much of it gets into the body. The more poison a person drinks, the more severe his condition will be, even without taking into account the different effects of individual toxins on the human body.

Well, let's sum it up by naming the main reasons for poisoning with one of the favorite alcoholic drinks:

• failure to comply with the storage conditions of wine and consumption of expired or spoiled product,
• drinking wine in large quantities, wine alcoholism,
• the desire to save money, which results in drinks of poor quality containing toxic additives ending up on the table.

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Symptoms wine poisoning

Since wine poisoning can be caused by different reasons, the symptoms of intoxication of the body can differ significantly. It is clear that a sour product is not capable of leading to the same serious consequences as one that is stuffed with chemical toxins and poisonous substances, so it is not necessary to talk about a general clinical picture of poisoning.

When drinking homemade wine with hydrocyanic acid, as well as a surrogate based on methyl or other toxic alcohol, the poisoning will be very severe. Depending on the amount of poison that has entered the body, the intoxication can be:

• Lightning fast, then we speak of an extremely severe degree of poisoning, characterized by loss of consciousness ( coma ) within a few minutes after taking the drink. A person can be unconscious for 15-20 minutes, after which convulsions and quick death follow. The probability of saving a person in case of severe poisoning is very small. And there are no guarantees that the poison will not have an extremely negative effect on the functioning of vital organs and systems. Or rather, this is exactly what will happen, so the consequences will be very severe.
• Acute, or severe. Differs from the previous one by a slower development of events. If in the first case the loss of consciousness occurs almost immediately after taking a dangerous dose, then with acute intoxication the person first becomes lethargic and apathetic, then falls into a coma, but after a few minutes can regain consciousness and behave too excitedly. Such clarification does not last long, and the victim again loses consciousness. The probability of a fatal outcome in this case remains high, but it is easier to save the person (there is a small reserve of time). However, in both cases it is necessary to act immediately.

The good news is that cases of such severe wine poisoning are not recorded very often. However, there are not many survivors of severe intoxication.

Most often, wine and wine-based poisoning occurs in a milder form, and the sooner the symptoms are noticed, the less dangerous the consequences will be. It is best to begin acting when the first signs appear, which are considered to be the usual symptoms of food poisoning:

• nausea and vomiting appear,
• a person may feel weak and lethargic,
• diarrhea soon sets in and appetite disappears.

Usually, these are the only symptoms when it comes to drinking expired or sour wine. If there is no vomiting, but the person begins to suffer from pressing headaches, dizziness, and a red face, it is most likely poisoning by chemicals added to the drink to improve taste, color, or storage.

If the wine contains highly toxic substances, but their quantity or the volume of the drink consumed is relatively small, the first signs of poisoning will be:

• metallic taste and bitterness in the mouth,
• sore throat,
• deterioration of sensitivity of the oral cavity receptors,
• squeezing pain behind the breastbone,
• a feeling that a person does not have enough air,
• headaches of varying intensity, dizziness,
• the appearance of noise in the ears.

Most often, the victim's complaints are limited to the first five symptoms, which, unfortunately, indicate only the initial stage of poisoning. The next stage is the disruption of the nervous system's functions to control breathing.

Damage to the respiratory center by toxins manifests itself as shortness of breath when moving and an increase in the frequency of contraction of the diaphragm without physical exertion (shortness of breath at rest). Then breathing becomes irregular. A person can breathe deeply and heavily, and then breathing stops for a while.

The center responsible for the cardiovascular system also malfunctions under the influence of toxic substances. This manifests itself in the suppression of cardiac activity: blood pressure and pulse rate decrease noticeably. But chest pains become more intense.

Also observed: disorientation in space and coordination of movements, disorders of the emotional-volitional and intellectual spheres. If the wine was made on the basis of methyl alcohol, visual impairment and behavior that does not correspond to the amount of alcohol consumed are possible.

The final stage of the second stage of poisoning can be considered the moment of loss of consciousness. A convulsive period begins, which is characterized by intense tremors (twitching) of the whole body, rare weak breathing, very low heart rate and pressure, and no pupil response to light. The person remains unconscious and does not react to anything.

The last stage is complete paralysis. The victim at this stage is distinguished by the absence of natural reflexes. The brain no longer controls the processes of emptying the bladder and intestines, so they begin to occur spontaneously. The person actually dies, and it will be extremely difficult to save him.

The appearance of symptoms common to food poisoning or the first signs of poisoning with highly toxic substances characterizes a mild degree of intoxication, which can be dealt with within three days. The main thing is to start acting immediately as soon as the symptoms appear.

If symptoms of chemical poisoning with respiratory and cardiac dysfunction are already observed, they speak of moderate to severe intoxication, and treatment can take up to a week. Then everything will depend on the victim's body, his health condition and the timeliness of first aid.

Complications and consequences

Why go far, if the symptoms of wine poisoning are already a test for the victim. First of all, it is a digestive disorder, when any attempts to eat turn into vomiting, and diarrhea takes away the last of your strength. But even symptoms of mild poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea, are a direct path to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, which in turn entails failures in the functioning of various organs and systems.

Very often, against the background of intoxication and dehydration, complications develop in the form of acute conditions associated with inflammation of the pancreas, kidneys, gall bladder, and liver. These organs take the brunt of the blow, and they will have to be treated for a long time with diet and medication.

The most dangerous poisonings occur when drinking wines containing cyanides (hydrocyanic acid is one of them) and methyl alcohol. In this case, loss of vision may be the lesser of two evils, since most victims do not survive.

But this is all physiology. But what about the psychological side of the problem? Firstly, the victim may suffer for a long time from a sense of shame for the unsightly state in which his relatives and friends saw him for such a banal reason as alcohol poisoning. Secondly, the one who brought low-quality wine to the party and thus inadvertently organized a mass poisoning among friends, relatives, and co-workers will carry the cross of regret for a long time and justify his short-sightedness. And if there are also fatalities, the person may reproach himself for the rest of his life, which is fraught with mental disorders and suicide attempts.

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Diagnostics wine poisoning

Alcohol poisoning and the toxic substances it contains occur almost every day, and doctors regularly have to respond to such calls. But usually, if an ambulance is called, it means that things are bad and you need to act very quickly. It is clear that the presence of alcohol in the body can be confirmed by a regular blood or urine test, but this does not mean that ethanol was the cause of the poisoning. But it is very important to identify the cause of the poisoning, because the choice of antidote and the treatment regimen as a whole depends on it.

Since a party is usually accompanied not only by drinking alcoholic beverages, but also by eating various food products, and in the youth environment also by smoking "weed" and other pranks, upon arrival at the scene of the incident, doctors have quite a lot of work that needs to be done as quickly as possible. They question those present at the poisoning about all its nuances, the time of appearance and the nature of the symptoms, examine the alcohol dishes and take samples for analysis, if there is vomiting, study the nature of the vomit.

It is also necessary to try to establish from the words of the victim or those present when the drinking of alcoholic beverages occurred, how much was drunk, what else the person consumed during this period. Blood pressure and pulse measurements are taken to assess the severity of the body's damage by toxins.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the victim undergoes clinical and biochemical blood and urine tests. This allows for the precise determination of the toxic substance that caused the poisoning and the identification of possible damage to various organs: liver, kidneys, etc. If there is insufficient information, non-specific biochemical studies are performed.

Wine poisoning is already accompanied by a disruption of the central nervous system at the second stage, which affects the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Instrumental diagnostics help to determine whether vital organs are affected. An ECG is performed to monitor the heart. Sufficient information about the brain can be obtained after an EEG. Additionally, hourly diuresis and central venous pressure studies are conducted, which helps to assess the hemodynamics of the pulmonary circulation.

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Differential diagnosis

Acute food poisoning with various substances has many similar symptoms, so it is very important to conduct a high-quality differential diagnosis based on the clinical picture and laboratory test data, which will make it possible to prescribe effective treatment. For example, if a person complains of abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and terrible weakness, these may be symptoms of acute pancreatitis due to alcohol abuse. It is clear that approaches to treating poisoning and inflammation will be completely different.

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Treatment wine poisoning

Wine poisoning, like any food intoxication, requires urgent measures to remove toxic substances from the body and eliminate the malfunctions in the body that they cause. But you need to understand that alcohol is absorbed into the blood already in the initial sections of the gastrointestinal tract, so the usual measure for many to combat poisoning in the form of gastric lavage a few minutes after drinking alcoholic beverages may be useless.

It is clear that it is not a pleasant thing to face food or alcohol poisoning firsthand. Anyone can get scared and fall into a stupor, not knowing what to do in case of wine poisoning. The most important thing is to calm down and not panic, in this case your actions will be logical and accurate.

It is easier if the wine poisoning happened before your eyes, i.e. it is known when and how much the person drank. Otherwise, alcohol intoxication can be judged by the aroma of alcohol and the intoxicated state of the victim, although this does not exclude poisoning by other food products.

The presence of signs of common food poisoning says little about the severity of the intoxication, but rather about its stage, so the hope of coping on your own is justified only if you have a medical education. If you do not have one, the first thing you need to do is seek help at a medical facility. Since time is running out in minutes and seconds, you should not try to take the victim to the hospital on foot or by public transport. An ambulance is there for this.

But until the ambulance appears on the doorstep, having assessed the condition of the victim, you need to try to provide him with first aid in order to reduce intoxication and prevent possible complications. If the person is very weak, it is better to put him to bed, but not on his back, but on his side, putting a pillow under his head. This way, if vomiting occurs, the vomit will be able to run out calmly and will not get into the respiratory tract.

If a person is unconscious, they are laid on a flat surface on their back, and their head is turned to the side, which prevents the tongue from sinking, which can block the victim’s breathing.

Until the ambulance arrives, the breathing and heartbeat of the person who has been poisoned by wine must be monitored at all times. If the heart suddenly stops, indirect cardiac massage must be performed, combined with artificial respiration.

If the person is conscious and able to take medications, intoxication is treated. Popular sorbents used for any poisoning (activated and white carbon, Smecta, Polysorb, Enterosgel, etc.) are best suited for this purpose. But it is important to understand that oral administration of drugs is only possible if the person is conscious.

The main point of detoxification therapy is the use of an antidote. But here you have to be very careful. The antidote for wine poisoning is considered to be ordinary sugar, which should be dissolved in lukewarm water (1 glass) and given to the victim to drink. But if we are talking about low-quality wine, it is more appropriate to use a quarter of a glass of high-quality vodka (ethanol) as an antidote.

With repeated vomiting, a large amount of fluid is removed from the human body, resulting in dehydration and disruption of the water-salt balance. This is a very dangerous condition that also needs to be dealt with. It is clear that introducing fluid into the body during vomiting is ineffective, because it will almost immediately be excreted back. It is more advisable to carry out rehydration therapy intravenously, in the form of a dropper. And yet, before the doctor arrives, you can try giving the victim special drugs, for example, "Regidron" (dosage - 1 tbsp.), tea, cool boiled water, a decoction of rice or oats.

If there is no diarrhea, the victim can be given a saline laxative, which will help cleanse the body of harmful substances and toxins.

In case of mild poisoning, these measures will be enough for the patient's condition to return to normal after a while. Moderate and severe intoxication require the victim to be taken to a medical facility, where treatment will be carried out according to the following scheme:

• detoxification is carried out by introducing an effective antidote and enterosorbents, after first cleansing the intestines with an enema,
• anticonvulsants and antiemetics are administered (as for the latter, although vomiting is considered useful in cases of reflex poisoning, cleansing the gastrointestinal tract in this way will only be useful in the first minutes after drinking alcohol; subsequently, this symptom only exhausts the patient without bringing any relief),
• measures are taken to rehydrate and eliminate the effects of dehydration,
• an analysis of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems is carried out, drugs are administered to support the work of the heart,
• symptomatic treatment is carried out to prevent various complications, including infectious ones,
• Patients are prescribed vitamins and vitamin-mineral complexes, because along with the fluid, the body also loses useful substances that need to be replenished in order to improve its functioning.

Physiotherapeutic treatment for poisoning is indicated already at the stage of recovery, when it is necessary to restore the organs damaged due to intoxication. What procedures will be prescribed depends on the disorders that are detected in the body, as a consequence of the toxic effect on it.

In severe cases, the patient's stay in the hospital may take about 2 weeks, after which they switch to outpatient treatment. In mild cases, treatment can be carried out at home, but you will still have to call an ambulance if the patient's condition does not improve or dangerous symptoms appear:

• persistent vomiting that prevents you from treating dehydration at home,
• if the vomit or stool contains blood particles,
• obvious signs of dehydration (dry skin, constant thirst, small amount of urine, which has a sharp nauseating smell, poor general condition),
• a prolonged increase in body temperature against the background of satisfactory health (a short-term increase in temperature is typical for an acute condition, but it does not last long),
• the appearance of symptoms indicating damage to the central nervous system (neurological symptoms: breathing and heartbeat disturbances, the appearance of convulsions, impaired body sensitivity).

If there is no certainty that the person was poisoned by wine, there is no need to rush with an antidote, but enterosorbents and liquid should be given if possible. If there is vomiting, it should not be stopped until the doctors arrive to determine the true cause of the poisoning.

Medicines used

We will not dwell on enterosorbents, which are used to cleanse the body of toxins. So much has already been said about them that it is unlikely that anything new can be added. We can only advise resorting to the help of such drugs as "Activated carbon" and "Enterosgel", which are usually in the home medicine cabinet.

In case of poisoning with wine or other substances, it is not recommended to take these sorbents for people with intestinal obstruction or hypersensitivity to the components of the drugs. Among the expected side effects, they include constipation and nausea, which is not so scary against the background of the already existing symptoms.

" Activated carbon " is usually taken in a dosage depending on the patient's body weight, when 1 tablet of carbon is taken for every 10 kg of weight.

"Enterosgel" does not require support on weight. It is prescribed to everyone in the amount of 1 sachet or one and a half tablespoons, depending on the form of release. This is a single dose that should be taken three times a day. Usually the medicine is taken outside of meals (1.5-2 hours before or after meals), but in case of wine poisoning, the victim is unlikely to want to eat, so there will be no restrictions.

In case of wine poisoning accompanied by a large loss of fluid, special attention should be paid to rehydration therapy, which can be carried out at home (in case of mild intoxication) or in a hospital setting. If there is no vomiting or it quickly stops, you can use drugs that restore water-salt metabolism and acidity of the body in the form of tablets, powder or suspension.

For example, the drug "Orasan", containing dextrose, which helps the rapid and complete absorption of liquids and mineral components. The effective dose of the drug will depend on the weight of the victim. The optimal daily dose is considered to be 60 mg of an aqueous solution of the drug (1 sachet is diluted in 1 liter of cool boiled water) for each kilogram of weight.

The medicine should be taken after each act of defecation. If vomiting is present, Orasan can be tried to be taken 10 minutes after it.

The drug is suitable for almost everyone, except for patients with intolerance to some of its components and diabetics (although the latter are unlikely to drink sweet wine, which is usually the cause of poisoning).

If such therapy does not help, you will have to go to the hospital, where intravenous infusions of saline, glucose solution with varying content of the latter, polyionic solutions and other effective drugs may be prescribed to combat dehydration and normalize electrolyte balance.

To stop useless vomiting in case of wine poisoning, antiemetic drugs are prescribed, for example, "Metoclopromide", effective for any digestive disorders. The drug can be prescribed in the form of tablets or injections.

Since alcohol poisoning is a matter for adults, we will consider doses that are effective specifically for them. For "Metoclopromide", such a dose is 1 tablet three times a day.

For patients in serious condition, the antiemetic may be administered as intramuscular or intravenous injections. A single dose is 1 ampoule. But the frequency of administration of the drug may vary from 1 to 3 times a day, as prescribed by the doctor.

The drug is suitable for most patients and rarely causes side effects. This may include mild tremors and reversible loss of coordination. It also happens that after taking the drug, a person begins to feel sleepy, there is noise in the ears or the oral mucosa dries out, but these symptoms are not considered dangerous and soon pass.

Magnesia ( Magnesium sulfate ) is the drug of choice for anticonvulsant therapy due to its ability to prevent seizures and have an antispasmodic, antiarrhythmic and sedative effect.

In case of poisoning, the drug is administered by injection slowly or as a dropper, using a pure 25% solution or a composition with the addition of saline or a five percent glucose solution. No more than 200 ml of the drug can be administered per day.

Despite all the benefits of the drug for stopping cramps, it cannot be used in all cases. The fact is that "Magnesia" cannot be prescribed for dehydration, respiratory depression, low blood pressure and rare weak heartbeat, which is quite often observed in wine poisoning. The fact is that the drug itself can provoke the above symptoms and further complicate the patient's condition.

At the second stage of wine poisoning, we observe the depression of the respiratory and cardiac centers. The disruption of coronary circulation in turn leads to hypoxia, because the tissues, together with the blood, do not receive the oxygen and other nutrients they need. In such conditions, it is very important to support the work of the heart with special drugs - cardiac glycosides.

One of the budget and very popular cardiac glycosides is a drug based on foxglove leaf extract "Digoxin", which can only be purchased with a doctor's prescription. In case of heart failure and cardiac ischemia, the drug can be prescribed in the form of tablets and solution, but in case of poisoning, preference is given to the second form of release.

The ampoule solution is mixed with saline or a five percent glucose solution. A single dose is 1-2 ml. The dose of solutions for dilution is 10 ml. The frequency of administration is 1-2 times a day on the first day, then once during the day.

The ampoule solution, diluted 10 times more than for injections, can be used for droppers with an injection rate of no more than 40 drops per minute.

The drug may slightly disrupt the heart rhythm, causing tachycardia and arrhythmia, and electrical conductivity of the heart muscle, affect the blood composition, cause confusion and hallucinations. Sometimes headaches, high fatigue, visual and digestive disorders, allergic reactions may be observed. But all these symptoms develop mainly with the introduction of high doses of the drug.

The drug is not prescribed for hypersensitivity to cardiac glycosides, inflammation of the heart membranes, ventricular tachycardia or obvious bradycardia, heart block, and some other cardiac pathologies, as well as excess calcium or potassium deficiency (hypercalcemia and hypokalemia) in the body. So taking this drug without a doctor's prescription or in the wrong doses is quite dangerous.

Traditional medicine and homeopathy

Wine poisoning is a very dangerous condition, the treatment of which should ideally be carried out by specialists. However, if the poisoning is mild and the symptoms resemble common food poisoning, it is quite possible to include folk recipes in the treatment regimen with sorbents, redigrants and antiemetics, which will help the body recover much faster. Folk treatment can also be resorted to if the symptoms of poisoning appeared in response to a large amount of alcohol consumed, and not to the content of harmful substances in the wine.

If you have fresh home-made eggs at home (without salmonella!), you can drink a couple of lightly beaten egg whites in one gulp, which will neutralize the intoxicating effect of ethanol.

To quickly remove toxins from the body, traditional medicine recommends eating more citrus fruits and juice from them, which can also help reduce nausea.

Since wine is a sweet drink, and disruptions in the body caused by intoxication can disrupt the metabolism of glucose, which will enter the blood, it is recommended to add the juice of half a lemon to a glass of water and drink it slowly.

Here is a recipe for a universal remedy that will be useful for any poisoning. Dill water with honey can be easily prepared by pouring 3.5 teaspoons of dill seeds with 5 glasses of boiling water, boiling for 5 minutes, cooling to a warm state and adding 3.5 teaspoons of honey. The entire decoction should be drunk during the day.

Herbal treatment will help reduce intoxication and somewhat alleviate the victim's condition. A decoction of tansy and chamomile (50 g of tansy flowers, 20 g of chamomile herb, 0.5 l of water) relieves intoxication well. And a decoction of licorice roots helps fight dyspeptic disorders. In case of liver damage from alcohol and toxins, an infusion of elecampane roots is suitable (20 g of crushed roots per 20 g of water, leave for 1/3 hour).

Homeopathy does not have a rich list of effective remedies for wine poisoning. However, it can offer something.

For example, in case of dehydration, homeopathic doctors prefer to prescribe the drug Hina, which helps the body to restore strength. And the homeopathic drug Nux vomica helps to reduce the symptoms of intoxication in case of mild poisoning. The dosage and features of the use of drugs should be clarified with a specialist doctor, who should be familiar with all the details of the poisoning.

To relieve symptoms of alcohol poisoning due to wine abuse, you can take the drug "Anti-E" 4-5 drops per dose. The drug is dissolved in 1 tbsp. of water and drunk at intervals of 1 hour. The next day, the frequency of administration is reduced to 6-8 times a day.

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Prevention

It would seem that alcohol can do so much harm, but people stubbornly continue to drink it. It is impossible to prohibit this in a free country, but each of us can do everything to ensure that only high-quality drinks end up on the table, which will not only be harmless, but can even bring some benefit.

By the way, wine can cause poisoning, but it can also help cope with food poisoning caused by bacteria. This applies mainly to red wines, which contain substances that have a detrimental effect on salmonella, listeria, and even the well-known causative agent of gastritis and stomach ulcers - Helicobacter pylori.

So the question of whether it is possible to drink wine when poisoned disappears by itself. But we are talking only about poisoning with food products, not alcohol. Moreover, there will be benefit only if high-quality red wine is used as a medicine, and not a dangerous counterfeit.

It must be said that preventing wine poisoning is not difficult. A few simple conditions will help protect yourself from buying a low-quality drink:

• alcohol should only be purchased at those retail outlets where the sale of counterfeit goods is excluded (usually these are branded alcoholic beverage stores and supermarkets where the quality of the goods is monitored),
• it is better to choose goods from well-known manufacturers and check for the presence of an excise stamp,
• When buying wine, you must pay attention to its expiration date,
• If the wine you bought has been sitting untouched for a long time and its shelf life has expired, it is better to throw it away without regret than to suffer later from poisoning by fermentation products and harmful substances.

During a feast, you need to learn to control the amount of alcohol you drink, this will help avoid ethanol intoxication. By the way, doctors also do not recommend drinking on an empty stomach if you do not want to get gastritis, pancreatitis and other unpleasant pathologies.

Hereditary winemakers and amateurs also need to adhere to certain rules:

• when making wine, do not be lazy in removing the seeds from the fruit, which contain a substance that is dangerous to the body,
• strictly adhere to the technology of production of wine and wine drinks, observe sanitary and hygienic standards, use fresh fruits without signs of decay,
• pour wine only into glass containers, using plastic bottles and metal pots or tanks for other purposes,
• Store the finished wine in a cool place away from light.

These simple precautions are within the power of anyone who does not want to end their life in such a banal way.

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Forecast

Wine poisoning is considered one of the most severe forms of intoxication, especially if the drink contains toxic alcohols, harmful additives and cyanides. The prognosis in this case is not very encouraging. Most victims with severe intoxication die before the ambulance arrives or on the way to the hospital. In cases of mild and moderate poisoning, a person's life and health can be fought for, but this fight must be started as early as possible.

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