Intoxication is the condition in which the body is poisoned, usually by a toxin or by a narcotic, alcohol, or some other drug. The substance is absorbed into the blood and carried to all parts of the body. See Narcotic; Toxin.
The effects of intoxication depend on the nature of the substance. Intoxication caused by toxins and dangerous drugs may result in headache, dizziness, vomiting, stomach pains, and sometimes coma and collapse. Intoxication caused by narcotics or alcohol has powerful effects on the central nervous system, such as slurring of speech and loss of short-term memory. Extreme cases of intoxication may cause death. Research indicates that genetic factors influence the effects in intoxication caused by drugs.
Intoxication is not always caused by a drug or toxin. Too much water added to baby formula, for example, can lead to a condition called water intoxication in infants. If severe, this can dangerously lower levels of sodium in the infant’s blood, causing irritability, coma, and even brain damage. For this reason, manufacturers make sure that baby formula contains no more than about 85 percent water. Athletes and other people can also suffer from water intoxication if they drink a large amount of water in a short period.
Intoxication may also be caused by some harmful material produced by the body itself that is not adequately eliminated in the urine or stools (solid body wastes). A condition called intestinal autointoxication, for example, is due to the accumulation of intestinal poisons in the blood. Intoxication by any cause can be dangerous.
See also Alcoholism; Breath testing; Driving while intoxicated (DWI); Drug misuse.
