special subjects
Alcohol Use
Diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder
Self-reports of alcohol intoxication Blood tests Screening questionnaires Acute alcohol intoxication is usually apparent based on what people or their friends tell the doctor and on results of the physical examination. If it is not clear why a person is acting abnormally, doctors may do tests to rule out other possible causes of symptoms, such as Hypoglycemia or Tests may include blood tests to determine the amount of alcohol in the blood and the blood sugar level, urine tests for certain toxic substances, and Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Digestive Tract (CT) of the head. Doctors do not assume that simply because people have alcohol on their breath that nothing else could be wrong. For legal purposes (for example, when people are in vehicle crashes or are acting abnormally at work), alcohol levels can be measured in the blood or estimated by measuring the amount in a sample of exhaled breath. In people with long-term alcohol use, blood tests may be done to check for abnormalities in liver function and evidence of other organ damage. If symptoms are very severe, an imaging test such as CT may be done to rule out a brain injury or infection. 