Bundit SornpaisarnSarnti SornpaisarnKevin D. ShieldJürgen RehmThe Campbell Family Cancer Research InstituteMcMaster UniversityOrganisation Mondiale de la SantéTechnische Universität DresdenUniversity of TorontoCentre for Addiction and Mental HealthMahidol UniversitySechenov First Moscow State Medical University2020-08-252020-08-252020-07-01Drug and Alcohol Review. Vol.39, No.5 (2020), 539-54514653362095952362-s2.0-85086147469https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/58105© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Introduction and Aims: While injuries and alcohol contribute to a large proportion of the disease burden in Thailand, no well-designed underlying study has yet been published. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between acute alcohol consumption and injury risk in Thailand. Design and Methods: Using the case-crossover design, this study examined 520 injured patients aged 18 years and older from two emergency departments in Meuang District, Chiang-Mai Province, Thailand, from June to August of 2016. The case period was defined as 6 h prior to injury, the two control periods as the same 6-h period at 1 day and 7 days prior to injury. Alcohol exposure and the amount consumed were measured for these periods. Results: Twenty percent of injured patients consumed alcohol within the 6 h prior to injury, averaging 6.9 drinks during that time. The odds of injury for those individuals consuming alcoholic beverages was 5.0 (95% confidence interval 3.0, 8.2) times greater compared to non-exposure individuals; every additional drink consumed increased the odds of injury by 1.3 (95% confidence interval 1.2, 1.4). Alcohol use significantly increased the odds of sustaining an unintentional injury, intentional injury inflicted by someone else or experiencing a road traffic injury (among drivers). The dose–response analysis indicated alcohol use significantly increased the risks of unintentional injury and road traffic injuries (among drivers). Discussion and Conclusions: Exposure to alcohol increased the odds of injury in a dose-dependent fashion; hence, comprehensive, cost-effective strategies should be implemented in Thailand to reduce alcohol exposure, binge drinking and drunk driving.Mahidol UniversityMedicineSocial SciencesArticleSCOPUS10.1111/dar.13094