I don't know anything about drug treatment specifically in the '70s because I was not hatched yet, but Erowid is probably a useful resource for you (albeit a dangerous place for many people with addiction issues). I can't do much more than skim on Erowid, but this one seems like it is probably going to be useful to you.
It is possible to survive but treatment would need to be almost immediate. He would be given Narcan to reverse the effects of the drugs and might also be given charcoal to absorb any left over drug in his stomach. Narcan causes withdrawal side effects. The hospital would probably assume addiction and treat with methadone. Methadone also has many side effects. It might not be so easy for him to leave on his own due to the side effects from treatment. He would most likely be seen as an addict who od than a patient with suicidal tendencies. Unless he mentioned a death wish, it is unlikely he would receive psychiatric care. If he lacks insurance, I can see him being treated and released easier but I don't know how well he would fend for himself.
All of the above are depressants, so everything slows down and he stops breathing, and if he's opiate naive this will happen with a much smaller dose than he might expect from seeing more experienced users. He will be injected with Narcan and probably adrenaline to get him going again and will have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms (even if he's not a regular user), limited to 24-48 hours tops. I agree with the other poster that without other indications, it will be treated as an accident not a suicide attempt.
I don't have any experience with methaqualone or similar (I'm not sure it was ever used in Australia) but alcohol and opiates can indeed be deadly as they are both CNS suppressants. If he is opiate-naive then the usual dose used by his addict friend could quite easily kill him on its own
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This may not be very helpful since it's just my own anecdotal experience, but for what it's worth...
Many, many years ago when I was young and stupid and experimenting with recreational drug use, I took half a quaalude. It made me so relaxed I could barely move my limbs (not that I cared all that much at the time). And even though the stoney-pleasurable effects had worn off within less than 12 hours, I had a sort of soporific hangover and had a dreadful time doing anything but sleep for the next two days.
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Many, many years ago when I was young and stupid and experimenting with recreational drug use, I took half a quaalude. It made me so relaxed I could barely move my limbs (not that I cared all that much at the time). And even though the stoney-pleasurable effects had worn off within less than 12 hours, I had a sort of soporific hangover and had a dreadful time doing anything but sleep for the next two days.
And that was only half a 'lude.
Never did that again.
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