Study: Alcohol May Help Prevent Injuries in an Accident

People who are driving under the influence of alcohol are much more likely to be involved in an accident. That is not exactly news to any car accident attorney in Houston, TX. However, according to a new study, alcohol in the system could actually help prevent injuries to the intoxicated person.

That information comes from a study conducted by researchers at the University Of Illinois in Chicago. The researchers analyzed more than 190,000 patients who had been treated at trauma centers across Illinois between 1995 and 2009. All of these people had undergone alcohol testing, and had alcohol levels that ranged all the way from 0 to 0.5% at the time that they were admitted to the hospital.

The researchers found that a person’s chances of surviving injuries seemed to increase with the increasing amount of alcohol in the system. This was true for almost every type of injury, except burn injury.

In fact, as the alcohol rates increased toward the upper levels, the fatality rate in some cases decreased by as much as 50%. People who had suffered some types of injuries like gunshot wounds or stab wounds had the greatest benefit from having alcohol in their system.

The researchers have an explanation for this. When a person suffers severe trauma, his body is triggered into emergency preservation mode, and works to stop physiological changes like inflammation and fluid loss that can cause mortality. Alcohol aids this process of preservation.

However, the results of the study should not be taken to mean that drinking and driving is safe, just because alcohol allegedly presents an extra layer of defense against injury. In fact, driving under the influence of alcohol is probably one of the most destructive and dangerous practices.