Many medications can interact with alcohol, leading to increased risk of illness, injury, or death.
For example, it is estimated that alcohol-medication interactions may be a factor in at least 25 percent of all emergency room admissions. An unknown number of less serious interactions may go unrecognized or unrecorded. This Alcohol Alert notes some of the most significant alcohol-drug interactions. Approximately 70 percent of the adult population consumes alcohol at least occasionally, and 10 percent drink daily. About 60 percent of men and 30 percent of women have had one or more adverse alcohol-related life events.