If someone is drunk, keep them on their side with someone watching continuously; do not let them sleep alone, and call China's 120 if they cannot be woken, breathe slowly or irregularly, have seizures, or feel cold

No monetary cost. Someone needs to stay for several hours, often overnight. The hard part is that you may have been drinking too and want to go home to sleep, while everyone assumes they will be fine after sleeping it off.

The UK's National Health Service lists signs of alcohol poisoning including confusion, slurred speech, inability to stand, vomiting, loss of bladder or bowel control, pale or bluish skin, slow or irregular breathing, seizures, and inability to wake. Call emergency services if you suspect alcohol poisoning, or if the person has a seizure, loses consciousness, or stops breathing. Stay with them because they may choke on their own vomit or stop breathing. Help them sit up if awake. If unconscious, place them on their side in the recovery position and check whether they are breathing normally. If fully awake, able to swallow, and not vomiting, they can take small sips of water. Keep them warm with a coat or blanket. Avoid five things: no more alcohol; no food, which may cause choking; no coffee or caffeinated drinks, which can worsen dehydration; no cold shower or bath, which can cause chilling, falls, or unconsciousness in the water; and no attempts to make them vomit. An emergency doctor's article on Shaanxi's health authority website says alcohol weakens throat reflexes, making vomit more likely to enter the airway and potentially cause fatal suffocation. Emergency departments often receive intoxicated people who have already died, with large amounts of vomit suctioned from their airways. Call 120 when deep drowsiness is accompanied by pallor, bluish lips, cold clammy skin, low body temperature, or shallow breathing. Place them on their side, do not induce vomiting or feed them, cover them with a blanket, and turn them periodically. If the heart and breathing stop, begin CPR immediately. Hospital guidance republished by Beijing's health authority says never to let an intoxicated person sleep alone, because no one would be there to help if they suffocated. A pharmacist's article republished by Fujian's drug authority says intoxicated people must lie on their side and that hypothermia can cause cardiac arrest. US CDC statistics for 2010–2012 recorded an average of 2221 alcohol poisoning deaths annually among people aged 15 and older, about 6 per day.

NHS. Alcohol poisoning：「Do stay with them because there's a risk they could choke on their own sick or stop breathing」「put them in the recovery position if they've passed out」「do not give them coffee or drinks containing caffeine」「do not put them in a cold shower or bath」「do not try to make them sick」. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-poisoning/；陕西省卫生健康委员会 (2022). 醉酒后 哪些状况不能拖（华中科技大学同济医学院附属协和医院急诊科 孙鹏、彭操）. https://sxwjw.shaanxi.gov.cn/ywgz/gbbj/202208/t20220825_2248211.html；北京市卫生健康委员会 (2023). 食物中毒、酒精中毒、煤气中毒【急危重症的家庭急救方法（六）】（来源：北京市垂杨柳医院）. https://wjw.beijing.gov.cn/bmfw_20143/jkzs/jksh/202307/t20230706_3157010.html；福建省药品监督管理局 (2022). 酒精中毒的用药（转载中国食品药品网，作者王树平）. https://yjj.scjgj.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/kpzl/spyjts/ypaqjs/202202/t20220228_5846003.htm；Kanny D 等 (2015). Vital signs: alcohol poisoning deaths — United States, 2010–2012. MMWR 63(53):1238-1242. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25577989/；泰兴市人民法院 (2023). 多次饮酒后溺亡，同饮者应按过错程度担责（全国人民法庭信息网）. https://rmft.court.gov.cn/1150/jdal/3795.jhtml；最高人民法院 (2024). 指导性案例 227 号 胡某某、王某某诉德某餐厅、蒋某某等生命权纠纷案. https://www.court.gov.cn/shenpan/xiangqing/433761.html

The evidence grade is B because these are official health guidance and emergency care experience, without figures showing how many deaths following the advice prevents. The benefit is judged large: choking and stopped breathing can go unnoticed when nobody is watching; someone present can recognize them and call 120 promptly. Advice on inducing vomiting is inconsistent. Some Chinese health articles suggest throat stimulation for someone still able to walk and speak. Chinese and international sources agree never to induce vomiting in someone who cannot be woken. The NHS advises against it in all circumstances. This approach is primarily for family, but friends and coworkers drinking together are a more common situation. Under Chinese law, drinking companions also have a duty of care. In a case decided by a court in Taixing, Jiangsu, two people knew a drinking companion was already intoxicated but neither notified his family nor took him home. He fell into a river and drowned in the early morning. They were held 7% and 3% responsible respectively and paid about 104000 yuan in total, precisely 103887 yuan. Supreme People's Court Guiding Case No. 227 also says drinking companions who fail to provide warnings and care bear compensation according to fault. At the end of a gathering, hand the person over to family or stay until they sober up. For an intoxicated stranger collapsed by the road, calling 120 is enough; do not move them yourself. See Item 2 in this section (do not rush to help someone up). Intoxication increases hypothermia risk; see Item 28 (hypothermia). For drinking while taking cephalosporins or metronidazole, see Section 34, Item 11 (avoid alcohol during cephalosporin or metronidazole treatment). Do not let an intoxicated person take a bath or sauna; see Section 22, Item 11 (do not use hot springs after drinking). Site note: After calling for help for a stranger, keep observing responsiveness and breathing if it is safe to stay. Calling does not remove the need for observation. Follow the emergency dispatcher's instructions on positioning, airway protection or CPR. Do not forcibly drag a person who may be injured, and do not induce vomiting. Source