consequences

Toward the end of last summer, at about 6 in the afternoon,  I received a phone call from the hospital to tell me that a very good friend was in the ER and "unresponsive".
I went to the hospital and discovered that he had collapsed in the parking lot of a local bar.  Fortunately, for him, a firefighter witnessed him fall and called for the EMTs.  They performed CPR on him and transported him to UMMC.
When I got to the hospital, they were preparing to do an MRI on him.  His entire left side was paralized.
I sat with him all night long, listening to him scream in pain from muscle spasms and leg cramps.
This was my first, and I hope my last experience with someone in an alcohol induced coma.  If it wasn't for the quick action of the firefighter he wouldn't be here today.
That night I learned that alcohol doesn't stop working on the body when the person goes into a coma. 
The following day I had to sign his release from the hospital since they said that he shouldn't drive or drink for the next 24 hours in order to give the body a change to purge the alcohol from his system.
Sadly, there was no lesson learned.  It will happen again, this was the third time - twice were Mercy Flights to Strong in Rochester, and maybe he won't be so lucky.  One thing, I know, is that I won't be the one sitting up worrying about him the next time.