Don't try to keep them awake. Don't try to restrain the person without lots of sober assistance. Don't permit the person to drive. Health Risks of Alcohol Health hazards associated with excessive use of alcohol or alcohol dependency include dramatic behavioral changes, retardation of motor skills, and impairment of reasoning and rational thinking. These factors result in a higher incidence of accidents and accidental death for such persons than for nonusers of alcohol.
Nutrition also suffers, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies are frequent.
Prolonged alcohol abuse causes bleeding from the intestinal tract, damage to nerves and the brain, psychotic behavior, loss of memory and coordination. Damage to the liver often results in cirrhosis, impotence, severe inflammation of the pancreas, and damage to the bone marrow, heart, testes, ovaries and muscles. Damage to nerves and organs is usually irreversible. Health Risks of Other Drugs Use of illicit drugs may lead to physiological and mental changes similar to those caused by alcohol, although changes are frequently more severe and more sudden. Death or coma resulting from overdose of drugs is also more frequent.