When our kids hit their teens, our ‘parent radar’ tends to spike – with new issues such as drinking and sex to contend with, it can be tricky to get a strong message across about how to behave to protect oneself.

 

One sure-fire way to educate teens – and people of all ages, for that matter – about the danger of irresponsible drinking and binge-drinking is the story of Hannah Lottritz.

 

Lottritz, a 21-year-old journalism student in Nevada, recently shared the frightening story of how binge-drinking left her in a coma for 24 hours, with doctors believing that she was brain-dead.

 

The story, which played out last July but was shared by Hannah recently on her 21st birthday, has gone viral around the world, and serves to highlight the importance of responsible drinking.

 

 

Describing the ‘life-changing’ incident, Lottritz recalled being at a festival with friends one evening and, afterwards, boasting to them that she could out-drink them all.

 

Having consumed two beers at the festival, Lottritz went on to continuously swig from a whiskey bottle and drink a full cup of the spirit. She collapsed five minutes after consuming the cup of whiskey, and friends sought help when they discovered that she wasn’t breathing.

 

By the time Lottritz reached hospital, she was already in a critical condition. She was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure as well as acute alcohol intoxication, and her blood-alcohol concentration was five times over the legal limit.

 

Speaking to Today this week, Lottritz painted a rather disturbing image of what she woke up to in hospital: “I had a tube down my throat and my hands were restrained so I couldn’t pull it out. They told me that they didn’t think I would make it through the night.”

 

Hannah's bruised wrists after blood tests

 

“They asked me if I was trying to kill myself by drinking so much. This question hit me the hardest,” she added.

 

Lottritz went on to make a full recovery, but the incident has changed her outlook on both drinking alcohol and life in general. She is now working to raise awareness of the dangers of binge-drinking, and is hoping to spread the message by writing and speaking about her horrific experience.

 

“I’m very lucky to have made a full recovery, but I know there are others who won’t be as lucky as me. So please, drink responsibly and make sure your friends do, too,” she wrote in her blog, also warning people to seek help immediately if they or their friends get into trouble.

 

Lottritz’s blog post is well worth a read – you can check it out in full through this link.

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