More evidence that bad beer kills ...

[Robin Garr]

Key point from an intriguing article in the NY Times' Well Blog:

Beers Implicated in Emergency Room Visits

Nationwide, roughly a third of all visits to emergency rooms for injuries are alcohol related. Now a new study suggests that certain beverages may be more likely to be involved than others.

The study, carried out over the course of a year at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, found that five beer brands were consumed most often by people who ended up in the emergency room. They were Budweiser, Steel Reserve, Colt 45, Bud Ice and Bud Light.

Full story:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/1 ... Ddayp&_r=0

http://xkcd.com/552/

And amazingly enough, when asked by first responders and ED personnel how much they had to drink, they all say "TWO BEERS!" I got to the point that I started asking my more intoxicated patients, "was that two 64 ounce beers or did you go straight to pony kegs?"

Never had an intoxicant tell me they drank craft beer, usually one of the ones mentioned in the article or other cheap alcohol.

This isn't surprising. Three of the top five exist solely for the purpose of getting blitzed, and the other two are the top-selling beers in the US. One would expect the most commonly consumed beers to be the beers that most commonly get folks in trouble for overconsumption. In other words, the article isn't actually proving anything unless it shows that these beers land people in the emergency room at a higher rate than the rate of their consumption among beer drinkers. Which is quite possible, but not proven here.

Though, even if it were shown to be the case, it still wouldn't be all that surprising. Folks who drink "good" beer typically don't drink it primarily to get as smashed as possible.

[Robin Garr]

In other words, the article isn't actually proving anything unless it shows that these beers land people in the emergency room at a higher rate than the rate of their consumption among beer drinkers. Which is quite possible, but not proven here.

Jeff, you are right of course. I hope it's clear that I did not post this as "science." I posted it because it is funny! And because it reinforces a significant forum meme.

It should also be noted that craft beer drinkers have a much higher risk of drowning during rainstorms than other beer drinkers. Keeping their noses in the air and all.

It should also be noted that craft beer drinkers have a much higher risk of drowning during rainstorms than other beer drinkers. Keeping their noses in the air and all.

Bad beer kills by boring one to death.