parents please talk to your teens

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I just want to encourage all you parents to please talk to your teens about drinking and alcohol poisoning. I talked to my 13 yr old (yeah I know they are starting so young these days.) Saturday after I got off work I joined my family and friends out at the lake to relax after a long day. People had been out there drinking all day. Well there apparently was a 14 yr old who drank to much (3 beers, 3 shots tequila and 1/4 bottle of vodka) thru the course of the day. The people who were trying to take care of were drunk and took her into the water to try to wake her up. They basically refused to call 911 because of the alcohol. I had to step in and assess her , barely awake, vomiting, sz activity and I yelled at my husband to put her in our vehicle(couldn' t get good reception on the cell) On the way her o2 sat was 22%. He held her in the back seat and talked to her and it came up on the way and we got her safely to the hospital so they could pump her stomach. And I had only gotten there 15 minutes before. She was so close to death. Not one of the adults out there kept her from drinking and not one saw the situation emerging. ( I almost got into a fight with one drunk lady over taking her to er.) So please, please please talk to your teens about the dangers of drinking. They think its all fun and games and don't think its dangerous and just want to join in the fun. But lives are stake......

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Wow, that's scary. Thank god you were there, you probably saved her life.

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Specializes in Neuro.

OMG, they put her in the water to "try to wake her up?" I commend you for what you did, and I would certainly look into pressing charges against these people for allowing a 14 y/o to drink, and for attempted murder for putting such an obviously wasted CHILD into the water like that. Of course, I don't know that you can actually press charges against them, but the police certainly need to be involved.

Kudos to you...

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Specializes in LTC.

Thanks for sharing your story. After hearing this, I think maybe I will include my kids' friends in the drug and alcohol talks, too, because some parents just don't get it. Why would these adults put this girl's life in jeopardy?

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Specializes in Cardiac x3 years, PACU x1 year.

Do you have a pulse ox at home? Or did you call the squad?

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

I agree that these conversations with teens are very necessary. Just curious how this all turned out.

Lucky for her that you had a portable/fingertip pulse oximeter in your car.

With her condition so compromised, I'm curious to know the ER staff's decision process to "pump her stomach."

At what point did a parent/legal guardian show up to consent for this 14-year old's treatment

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Hate to say it, but a lot of it starts with the parents. Don't lie around drunk and partying and your kids probably won't either. Keep an eye on your kids -- let THEM know you know where they are, all the time.

I have a 20 year old and 16 year old who are not drinkers or druggies, and one of the main things I did was get to know the parents of every kid they ever hung out with. I would call them on the phone personally and let them know we weren't into having him or her drink at other parent's homes, that I was home, etc. and they could call me if anything wrong were to go on.

That said, we've been lucky our kids always chose good friends from good families. My daughter does drink at college, but doesn't seem to get a kick out of getting "wasted." I'm still watching my son, and being vigilant about the parent thing . . . I know we have a few years to go with him.

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You have a sat monitor in your car?

22% is not compatible with life.

I've worked ER 19 years and I have never seen a stomach pumped for alcohol.

On the flip side, a few years ago there was a teen here who went to the lake with friends, with alcohol that her father bought for her, who jumped in a truck and sped off. Windy two-lane road, she hit a family in a car head on and killed the mother. She's in CYA for the max term and her father is also serving time.

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I hate alcohol.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
I've worked ER 19 years and I have never seen a stomach pumped for alcohol.

When this term is used by lay people I like to give them the benefit of doubt and assume that they are referring to an NG tube. ;)

Not sure exactly what transpired in the OP's case, and would like to find out more.

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A lay person has a sat monitor?

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

OP's profile indicates she is a nurse.

Just hoping for more clarification on this scenario ... ;)

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