title: Use of alcohol before suicide in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few studies have compared acute use of alcohol in suicide decedents with that in a nonsuicide group. This study provides the first national analysis of acute use of alcohol before suicide compared with an estimate of acute use of alcohol in a living sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pooled 2003-2011 National Violent Death Reporting System data were used to estimate the prevalence of postmortem blood alcohol content positivity (blood alcohol content >0.0 g/dL) and intoxication (blood alcohol content ≥0.08 g/dL). Population estimates of comparable use of alcohol (within the past 48 hours) were based on the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the living sample, male and female suicide decedents showed, respectively, a 1.83-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.73-1.93) and 2.40-fold (95% CI, 2.24-2.57) increased risk of alcohol ingestion before their death after age, race/ethnicity, and chronic alcohol problems were controlled. Furthermore, male and female decedents exhibited, respectively, a 6.18-fold (95% CI, 5.57-6.86) and a 10.04-fold (95% CI, 8.67-11.64) increased risk of being intoxicated before their death after confounders were considered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings underscore the crucial need to include among the essential components of suicide prevention policies programs that minimize the use of alcohol, particularly drinking to intoxication.
authors: Department of Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles, CA. Electronic address: kaplanm@luskin.ucla.edu.
authors: Mark S
authors: MS
authors: Kaplan
authors: Center for Public Health Studies, School of Community Health, College of Urban & Public Affairs, Portland State University, Portland, OR.
authors: Nathalie
authors: N
authors: Huguet
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland.
authors: Bentson H
authors: BH
authors: McFarland
authors: The University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas Regional Campus, Dallas.
authors: Raul
authors: R
authors: Caetano
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY; VA VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Canandaigua, NY.
authors: Kenneth R
authors: KR
authors: Conner
authors: Social and Epidemiological Research Department, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Norman
authors: N
authors: Giesbrecht
authors: Office of the Medical Investigator, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque.
authors: Kurt B
authors: KB
authors: Nolte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D001344:Autopsy; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D002423:Cause of Death; D016208:Databases, Factual; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol drinking; Epidemiology; Suicide; Toxicology