Usually a person can metabolize 10 ml of alcohol or 1 ounce of whiskey every ninety minutes. If taken in high enough doses, alcohol can depress respiration and cause death. Intoxication occurs when a person's blood alcohol level is 0.10 per cent or more. In most states, this blood level is the legal definition of inebriation. Symptoms of intoxication include irritability, mood swings, short attention span, talking loudly, slurred speech, lack of coordination, unsteady gait, nystagmus, and flushed face.
Simple intoxication lasts less than twelve hours and is usually followed by a hangover.
A hangover comprises the unpleasant symptoms that occur about 4 to 6 hours after ingestion. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, gastritis, fatigue, sweating, thirst, and vasomotor instability. These are attributed to hypoglycemia and accumulation of lactic acid and acetaldehyde in the blood. Alcoholic hallucinosis is characterized by auditory hallucinations in persons who are dependent on alcohol, occurring usually 48 hours after heavy drinking. Physical dependence is manifested most strikingly when the person is deprived of the drug and withdrawal symptoms appear.