title: Drinking patterns and problems in emergency services in Poland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine drinking patterns and problems in emergency services in Poland, where both alcohol consumption and the health care system have undergone enormous recent change.
  
  
  METHODS
  A probability sample of 734 emergency service patients was breathalyzed and interviewed in a large public hospital in Warsaw, Poland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  2.5% of the sample was breathalyzer positive; all were male and injured. Injured males were significantly more likely to report heavy problem drinking than non-injured, but no differences were found for females. Among injured males who reported drinking prior to the event, close to 50% reported feeling drunk, and over 75% attributed a causal association of their drinking with injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data point to substantial alcohol-involvement on the part of injured males in this population, and suggest emergency services may be a productive venue for identifying those patients who would benefit from a brief intervention.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Institute, Alcohol Research Group, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA. ccherpitel@arg.org
authors.forename: Cheryl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cherpitel
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moskalewicz
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Swiatkiewicz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000552:Ambulances; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology