Which of the following is included in AEIOU-TIPS?

• A. Alcohol
• B. Diabetes
• C. Hypotension
• D. Seizures

Answer: (A)

AEIOU-TIPS is a quick way to remember common causes of altered mental status in the field. Alcohol is included because intoxication or withdrawal is a classic, immediate cause you must consider when a patient isn’t acting normally. Recognizing alcohol as a stand-alone item helps you prioritize questions about drinking, look for signs of intoxication, and anticipate withdrawal or metabolic effects that can worsen AMS. It’s also useful to remember that other items in the mnemonic cover related issues—diabetes relates to insulin problems, and seizures relate to epilepsy—so those can be part of the broader differential, while hypotension by itself isn’t a separate category in the mnemonic. The main point is that alcohol is explicitly listed as a common AMS cause you should evaluate early.