“I’ll give you 5 million won—drink it all”... Woman in her 20s dies within a minute after downing one and a half bottles of liquor in one shot [Health Talk]

[Financial News] A tragic incident has recently come to light in which a woman in her 20s died of acute alcohol poisoning after downing one and a half bottles of liquor (about 700 ml) in one minute at an entertainment bar, on the pretext of a money bet. The case is raising the alarm about the fatal risks that binge drinking in a short period poses to the human body.
At the time of death, the victim’s blood alcohol concentration reached a staggering 0.485%. This level is far beyond the range at which the body can function normally, and is high enough to paralyze the medulla, the part of the brain that controls breathing and heartbeat. The medical community generally considers a blood alcohol concentration of 0.4–0.5% or higher a “fatal dose” that can lead to respiratory paralysis and death from acute alcohol poisoning.

Alcohol is absorbed very quickly in the stomach and small intestine, but the liver’s capacity to break it down is limited. For an adult of average build, the liver can metabolize only about one to two shots of soju per hour (around 10–15 g of alcohol).
If someone downs about 700 ml of liquor over 40% alcohol by volume in just one minute, the intake rate exceeds the liver’s metabolic rate by dozens of times, and highly concentrated alcohol that cannot be broken down travels through the bloodstream straight to the brain. In this process, the central nervous system is rapidly suppressed, causing a coma; the muscles that keep the airway open relax, and the respiratory center becomes paralyzed, potentially leading to asphyxiation or cardiac arrest.
Because the reflexes of a patient with acute alcohol poisoning are impaired while they are unconscious, vomiting carries a very high risk of the vomit blocking the airway and causing death by suffocation. Peripheral blood vessel dilation can also disrupt the body’s temperature-regulating center, resulting in severe hypothermia. This is why leaving a severely intoxicated person unattended for a long time without trying to wake them, as in this incident, can effectively lead to their death.

Danger signs that appear after someone drinks heavily at a gathering should never be taken lightly. If someone who has been drinking falls into a deep coma and does not respond even when their name is called loudly or their body is shaken, it is a sign that the central nervous system has already begun to shut down.
Breathing should also be monitored closely. If breathing becomes irregular—for example, if the rate drops to eight breaths per minute or fewer, or the pauses between breaths reach 10 seconds or longer—this is a clear danger sign that the respiratory center is being suppressed. The person may also lose the ability to regulate their body temperature, causing them to become rapidly cold, or develop cyanosis, in which the lips and skin turn blue due to impaired circulation. Sudden convulsions or seizures may also occur as a result of brain damage. If even one of these symptoms is observed, it is an emergency and help must be sought from 119 without delay.
Experts warn that someone who has collapsed after drinking must never be left unattended on the assumption that they will simply “sleep it off and wake up.”
If the person who has collapsed is unconscious, place them in the recovery position by turning their face to the side so their airway does not become blocked, and call 119 immediately. Never force them to drink water or induce vomiting, as this can cause aspiration pneumonia if vomit enters the lungs, or lead to suffocation.
A culture of penalty drinking that involves downing alcohol in a short time, or pressuring people to drink excessively, is not mere entertainment but a serious dangerous act that can take lives. The only way to prevent the tragedy of acute alcohol poisoning is to drink slowly, with sufficient water, and within the limits of what the body can metabolize.
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