Alcohol and Accidents or Injuries

It can also have an impact on your judgement and decision-making. It affects:

• Reaction times
• Balance and co-ordination
• Sight and hearing
• Concentration levels
• Alertness

Research shows that when people have been drinking they are more prone to taking risks that they perhaps would not take if they had not had any alcohol. When someone is injured and they’ve been drinking alcohol, their injury is likely to be more serious than it would have been if they were sober.

Statistics show that about 40% of people taken into hospital casualty departments are suffering because of an alcohol-related accident or injury.

Alcohol contributes to people having accidents such as:

• Slips, trips and falls – because your sense of balance and reaction times are affected by drinking, it’s easier to slip, trip or fall.
• Traffic accidents – drink driving is less prevalent than it used to be but it’s still a significant cause of death, accident and injury, especially in younger men.
• Accidents in the home – the saying goes “as safe as houses” but injuries and accidents at home happen a lot. Estimates suggest that up 400 people a year die in alcohol-related accidents at home.
• Fires – in 2007/8, 270 people died in house fires in the UK. Of these, around 90 had been drinking alcohol. Sometimes people fall asleep or are less careful with fire and fire-causing substances than they would be if they hadn’t been drinking.
• Drownings – over a quarter of all adults who drown have been found to have been drinking alcohol. Sometimes people decide to swim or go out in a boat when they are drunk/have been drinking and can sustain injury or be killed this way. People who have been drinking alcohol also drown at home – common causes include slipping into a pond and falling asleep in the bath.

If you have concerns about anyone you know who may be suffering from alcohol abuse, even if they are not exhibiting any of the more obvious and well-known signs, give Rehab Recovery a call today on 0800 088 66 86 to find out about London alcohol help that can save someone from themselves before it is too late.