A student has shared a horrifying photo of herself in
hospital in an effort to warn others about the dangers of binge drinking. Hanna
Lottritz, a 21-year-old journalism student at the University of Nevada, drank
five times the legal limit for driving at a concert with friends and then
collapsed into a coma.
The aspiring journalist has now taken to her blog to narrate
how it all happened. She writes:
how it all happened. She writes:
I didn’t realise the importance of drinking responsibly
until I was waking up from a coma… Many of the people I was with had been
drinking throughout the day and were already feeling good.
until I was waking up from a coma… Many of the people I was with had been
drinking throughout the day and were already feeling good.
My problems started after the concert. I ended up at a
campsite where I found some of my other friends. This group [of friends] was
mostly guys who (for some reason) I promised I could out-drink. Ms Lottriz then
began to compete with a friend to see how long they could drink whiskey from a
bottle without stopping.
campsite where I found some of my other friends. This group [of friends] was
mostly guys who (for some reason) I promised I could out-drink. Ms Lottriz then
began to compete with a friend to see how long they could drink whiskey from a
bottle without stopping.
After drinking the bottle she told her friends she was fine,
but blacked out and stopped breathing.
but blacked out and stopped breathing.
The next thing she remembers is waking up from a coma. She
had a tube down her throat to enable her to breath and her hands were
restrained, to stop her from removing the tube.
had a tube down her throat to enable her to breath and her hands were
restrained, to stop her from removing the tube.
Doctors told her they thought she was brain dead as she was
completely unresponsive, and didn’t react to verbal or painful stimuli.
completely unresponsive, and didn’t react to verbal or painful stimuli.
She suffered acute respiratory failure and acute alcohol
intoxication, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.41 – a reading five times
the legal limit allowed for driving.
intoxication, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.41 – a reading five times
the legal limit allowed for driving.
The breathing pipe was removed from her throat several hours
after waking. Doctors then asked if she had tried to kill herself by binge
drinking, a question she claims made her realise ‘the seriousness of being
irresponsible with alcohol’.
after waking. Doctors then asked if she had tried to kill herself by binge
drinking, a question she claims made her realise ‘the seriousness of being
irresponsible with alcohol’.
Ms Lottritz said the event had changed her approach to
alcohol forever, and that instead of going out and drinking shots on her
birthday she’ll be celebrating with dinner and ‘maybe a glass of wine.’
alcohol forever, and that instead of going out and drinking shots on her
birthday she’ll be celebrating with dinner and ‘maybe a glass of wine.’
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