Alcohol impairs judgement, vision, balance, coordination, reaction time, and our ability to make clear decisions. This drug plays a major role in many incidents such as motor vehicle crashes, serious falls, assaults, burns, drownings, suicides, and homicides.

For example, people injured in falls are 60 times more likely to have a blood alcohol level over the legal limit. Alcohol is also linked to the severity of the injury – the higher the level of alcohol, the more severe the injury. Smartrisk Canada reports the risk of a fatal crash for drivers with a blood alcohol level (BAL) of 0.15% is increased by 250 times when compared to a driver with 0% BAL. A BAL of 0.15% is almost twice as high as the legal limit of 0.08%. Transport Canada estimates impaired driving crashes cost Canadians more than $5 billion each year; not to mention the pain and suffering of all involved.

The majority of alcohol-related injuries involve social or occasional drinkers who had too much to drink. One episode of binge drinking can lead to a lifetime of grief for you, someone you care about, or an innocent bystander.

Here are some tips to prevent alcohol related injuries:

• Never make alcohol the focus of any event.
• Never consume alcohol when engaging in high-risk sports.
• Do not serve, provide, or make alcohol available to anyone who is drunk or underage.
• If you choose to drink, have no more than two standard alcoholic drinks a day.
• Drink alcohol-free beverages when doing activities that require concentration.
• Eat food when drinking alcohol.
• Never drive a motorized vehicle of any kind when you have been drinking.

Be safe. Be smart. Don’t be a statistic.

Key References

Transport Canada. (2005). Smashed: Impaired driving in Canada: Progress… but the journey continues. Retrieved November 22, 2006. from http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp1535/progress.htm

SmartRisk. (2004). Few injured drunk drivers convicted. Retrieved November 22, 2006, from http://www.smartrisk.ca/ContentDirector.aspx?tp=774