Acute Alcohol Intoxication

You’re at a party and your best friend has drunk more than her body can absorb (typically, more than a drink an hour). She’s vomiting, and her skin is pale, with a bluish hue.

What to Do: “If she’s passed out and you can’t rouse her by pinching or squeezing her big toe on the nail bed, you need to call 911,” says Rachel Moresky, director of international emergency medicine at New York–Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center. Says Abbas Hyderi, an assistant professor of clinical family medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, “Put her on her side to prevent her from choking on vomit while you wait for the ambulance to arrive.”

Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke

You were playing soccer on a 90-degree day and never stopped for rest or water. Now you feel sick, weak, and overheated. You probably have heat exhaustion: Symptoms include headache, dizziness, nausea, and a body temperature higher than 101. If left untreated, says Hyderi, it can turn into heatstroke, which will cause your skin to become flushed and red, your body to stop sweating, and your core body temperature to skyrocket to 106 or higher.

What to Do: If you have heat exhaustion, get out of the heat and drink plenty of water. Place ice packs all over your body, especially behind your neck and at your armpits and groin, says Moresky. You can also lie in cold bathwater. If you feel as if you might pass out, ask someone to call 911 or take you to the ER.

Strain, Sprain, or Fracture

You tried to keep up with your teenager on Rollerblades. Five hours into the excursion, your ankle gave out.

What to Do: For a strain (torn muscle), ibuprofen and RICE (rest, ice, compression — such as an Ace bandage — and elevation) should take care of it. If the pain is acute, though, see a doctor. You might have a sprain (torn ligament) or a fracture. A doctor can wrap the ankle and prescribe a more potent pain reliever.