SAN DIEGO -- Confusion over whether a man imbibed too many screwdrivers -- the drink -- or was stabbed by a screwdriver -- the tool -- led to a screwy situation for police and fire crews, authorities said Thursday.

The man called 911 on his cell phone around 7:40 p.m. Wednesday and was slurring his words as he "told a dispatcher he'd been drinking screwdrivers all night" and thought he was in a Dumpster, said Maurice Luque of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Erring on the side of caution, police officers and firefighters searched for around two hours for a man who may have been stabbed with a screwdriver, Luque said.

When they found him, he was neither stabbed nor in a trash bin, but rather in bushes next to a clothing store at Midway Drive and Sports Arena Boulevard, authorities said.

It turned out the man was in need of medical aid, as he was suffering from "alcohol-induced" internal bleeding, Luque said.