Background Pony #88B9

Methanol and ethylene glycol are not themselves toxic, but are broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase to form toxic products (formaldehyde and glycolic acid (which is then oxidized to the toxic oxalic acid) respectively). Ethanol has a higher affinity for ADH, so if you keep enough ethanol in the bloodstream it blocks that reaction. Administering ethanol is an accepted treatment for methanol and ethylene glycol poisoning (fomepizole is considered preferable, but is also much more expensive and there's a supply shortage). It can be done with a 10% solution intravenously, or a 20% solution orally or through a nasogastric tube. Premixed IV solutions of ethanol in dextrose used to be commercially available, but they aren't anymore, so an IV solution has to be prepared as needed. That takes time, so oral administration can be preferable.So yes, actually, doctorssometimes administer alcohol orally.