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Original poster

Please help, should I take him to hospital?

261 replies

ohnopleasenotthis · 11/08/2019 19:29

My neighbours have just knocked and told us that our 14yo son was unconscious on the ground outside our house - we rushed out and he's clearly been drinking HUGE amounts of alcohol Sad he's wet himself, he's now regained consciousness and vomited copiously, he can't stand unaided and he's barely able to talk. Is also being quite aggressive and wont let his dad bring him into the house. Not able to tell us how much he's had or what it was.

Obviously he's in shit so deep he'll probably never get out Angry but should we take him to hospital? DH wants to put him to bed (not sure how!) but I'm worried about choking on vomit and/or alcohol poisoning.

OP posts:
Original poster
ohnopleasenotthis · 11/08/2019 23:32

Thanks JenMandolini, sending biscuits is a great idea, we'll do that :)

OP posts:
Chocolatedaim · 11/08/2019 23:42

My DH did this about 20yrs ago as a 16yr old. He learnt his lesson big time and has been a very sensible drinker ever since.
His mom is a nurse and she went absolutely ape at him, the hospital staff at the time were very gentle and kind whereas she was barking and yelling it at him 😆 he learnt his lesson though.
Lots of paracetamol and water tomorrow!!

Candymay · 11/08/2019 23:51

I hope you’re all ok. I feel so sorry for you. I was taken to hospital in a similar condition when I was a teen too. Awful. Best of luck and hope he is ok.

Sunflowers11 · 11/08/2019 23:54

Hi @ohnopleasenotthis I have not read right through the thread but unconscious drunk patients cannot safely maintain their own airway, if you are at all concerned please ring for an Ambulance. (Paramedic Here)

timeisnotaline · 12/08/2019 00:00

The ambulance was sensible, you didn’t know how drunk he was. I know 13 yo boys who have been taken to hospital with alcohol. I like the idea of making him pay for the call out by donating the cost (when idiots get lost in the Bush alone and search and rescue services go after them I always think they should pay the thousands that costs!) along with hand delivering some treats.

MrsPinkCup · 12/08/2019 00:00

Op don't worry. My eldest dd was taken to hospital for self harm and we had a phonecall from ss and Camhs involvement.

A year later my other dd got in a similar state as your ds and I was so worried I rang 101 they gave the same advice as the ambulance staff gave you. 3 days later we got a phonecall from ss to see if we needed any support.

So many teenagers do this everyday, when it's yours you feel like the worst parent in the world but ss and medical staff see it all the time.

I would be given his mates a bollocking though.

Sunflowers11 · 12/08/2019 00:02

@munemema it is a priority over Heart Attacks/Strokes etc, for the reasons I stated above.

HeadintheiClouds · 12/08/2019 00:05

Not op’s place to give his mates a bollocking...

MrsMump · 12/08/2019 00:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YouKnowOneDayAtATime · 12/08/2019 00:06

Tricia, read the whole thread. The ambulance was called, arrived, assessed and left within 30 minutes on a weekend. Amazing service.

HeadintheiClouds · 12/08/2019 00:10

That did sound too good to be true, tbh...

sleepyhead · 12/08/2019 00:14

Oh god, that was me not that.much older than your d's back in the day.

I'd discovered that alcohol made me feel nice and not shy so I drank the best part of a bottle of vodka at a party.

Well, I didn't feel nice the next morning and it was very embarrassing having to face up to what I'd done under the influence the next day (and for days afterwards). Luckily just embarrassing and not dangerous.

Hope he's ok. He may well have learned a lesson. Don't shield him from what happened - he won't have a memory of it so you'll have to provide one - the pissing himself and vomiting, the foul language and being out of control, that's a sobering thing to hear about yourself. Not fun, not cool, not sexy.

Sunflowers11 · 12/08/2019 00:14

@YouKnowOneDayAtATime
I am sitting between jobs on standby slowly reading this thread, but was surprised The Ambulance left him at home instead of taking him in! Not something we would do Confused

U2HasTheEdge · 12/08/2019 00:30

An ambulance can easily come and go in 30 minutes. I have had to call for one many times and it's very rare that they aren't with us in 10 minutes.

OP I wouldn't personally go too harsh on punishments. I think his wicked hangover is punishment enough and with a good talking to about the dangers etc he hopefully won't do it again.

You did the right thing calling 999. You weren't to know how dangerous his condition was. It's not a waste of ambulance.

Sunflowers11 · 12/08/2019 00:39

@U2HasTheEdge not where I work! But I agree fully, certainly not a waste of time and more common seeing drunk teenagers, then people think!

didkdt · 12/08/2019 00:49

For everyone saying with hindsight this wasn't an ambulance matter can I just say,
We aren't all medically trained, they are.
That's why there are paramedics and first responders and emergency first aiders you can call upon to assess the situation and decide what he needs.
The first stage of the triage happens when the call is made. It wasn't OP who decided he needed a full on ambulance crew it was the person who took the call.
They sent out the team best able to approach the situation assess the situation and assist those involved.
That was a good use of services.
A&E is stretched more than ever, OP didn't pitch up and use the time and resources of several members of staff and a bed, what she did was cheaper and more efficient but just as effective.
Ask everyone in A&E how they'd rather he was triaged and advised

Ohmybloomers · 12/08/2019 08:30

How is he this morning ohno?

Jellybeansincognito · 12/08/2019 08:54

@didkdt I think what people mean is, it was a wasted ambulance thanks to the state he got himself into. Of course it was necessary to get him medically assessed but he did that to himself, it’s not like he has a mental health condition and needs treatment for that too.

His stupidity prevented an ambulance for someone who would have really been in need, regardless of hindsight- of course he should pay up to a charity to learn a lesson.

FrappeLatte · 12/08/2019 08:58

How is he this morning, OP?

SpaceDinosaur · 12/08/2019 10:19

@ohnopleasenotthis please please do ensure that the other kids parents know that they dumped your unconscious son on the drive and ran away.

I would want to know. I would want to understand why my child didn't ring the bell.

At 15 I phoned my best friend's mum to come and get us because my best friend was paralytic and needed help

FurnitureAndBackgammon · 12/08/2019 11:10

I would want to know. I would want to understand why my child didn't ring the bell.

Absolutely agree, those boys let your DS down unbelievably. I would want to know if my DSs had behaved like this. I'd like to think they wouldn't but who knows?

Greenmarmalade · 12/08/2019 11:15

His stupidity prevented an ambulance for someone

I don't think he's 'stupid,' I think he's an adolescent who is learning life's lessons. A lot of us have certainly been in his position

onemorecakeplease · 12/08/2019 11:25

Hope he is okay this morning OP

StraffeHendrik · 12/08/2019 11:45

That sounds horrible and the thought of my dc in that situation is upsetting.

However as a teen in the 90s I did similar myself (passed out drunk) and so did lots of my friends- parties, weekends camping with venture scouts (not sure that would happen these days) - there was someone paralytic at most of them.

It was a horrible and very embarrassing experience the time I was the one who overdid it (downed a pint of punch iirc and was carried back to the caravan by security then had my wallet nicked while sleeping it off on the beach the next day) but a learning experience too. Ie I didn't do it again for the next 10 years....!

On the positive side I think if he was going to do it, maybe it is better that it happened at home where you can look after him and he will be properly mortified, rather than at uni later where you can get into a lads culture where such heavy drinking is normalised.

StraffeHendrik · 12/08/2019 11:46

Oh and his mates let him down they should at least have rung the bell and run away when they saw someone coming!

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