Abstract
Alcohol consumption is responsible for approximately one-half of all trauma deaths and nonfatal injuries in the United States. Obtaining a blood alcohol level (BAL) is one way to determine at-risk patients. Relying only on the BAL excludes many patients from screening who may be at-risk drinkers. Consequently, our trauma center adopted the philosophy to screen all of our trauma patients for at-risk drinking, regardless of their BAL. We have identified that approximately 25% of our patients with a BAL less than the legal limit are at-risk drinkers and required an intervention and education on safe drinking limits.