Could Your Beer Land You in the Emergency Room?

Almost one-third of annual visits to the emergency room are alcohol-related. A new study now implies that certain drinks may cause more of these visits their counterparts. Could your drink be more dangerous than you think?

Probably not, as we all know the importance of having a designated driver and drinking responsibly--but the results of a study conducted at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore over the span of four years certainly piques my interest. Five brands of beer in particular resulted in more ER visits: Steel Reserve, Colt 45, Budweiser, Bud Light, and Bud Ice.

The New York Times reports on the study further:

 "Three of the brands are malt liquors, which typically contain more alcohol than regular beer. Four malt liquors accounted for nearly half of the beer consumption by emergency room patients, even though they account for less than 3 percent of beer consumption in the general population.

 Previous studies have found that alcohol frequently plays a role in emergency room admissions, especially those stemming from car accidents, falls, homicides and drownings, said the lead author of the study, David H. Jernigan of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The new study, published in the journal Substance Use and Misuse, is the first to look at whether certain brands or types of liquor are overrepresented.

 Dr. Jernigan said that the breakdown of liquor consumption in the study may be particular to Baltimore, and that he and his colleagues are hoping to study other cities as well. The findings could have policy implications, potentially influencing labeling requirements and marketing for higher-alcohol beers, Dr. Jernigan said."

Interesting stuff. I'd like to see how a similar study would fare here in the south, as we all know someone who ended up in the ER after saying that one phrase we all know means trouble: "Hey, y'all hold my beer and watch this!"