ABSTRACT
A high proportion of emergency department attendances are alcohol-related. The ability to assess if the patient has a problem with the level of alcohol he is drinking is an important skill. Many presentations may be related to alcohol, including falls, head injury, burns, fits and other collapses, gastrointestinal symptoms, repeat attendance, and depression and other psychiatric presentations. A formal assessment of drinking (and drug) habits should be made in patients who present in this way.
