Objective: While a large literature exists on the association of alcoh
ol and injury, coming largely from studies carried out in hospital eme
rgency rooms (ERs), it is not known how representative ER patients are
of those who are injured and treated elsewhere, or of those who are i
njured and receive no treatment. This article reports data on alcohol,
injury and ER treatment in the general population. Method: Data were
collected in two household probability samples: a national sample (N =
1,144) and a California county sample (N = 3,065). Results: In the na
tional sample those treated in the ER for an injury were more likely t
o be younger, black and heavier drinkers, and were more likely to repo
rt experiences associated with alcohol dependence compared to those wi
th other injuries, treated or untreated. In the county sample, those t
reated in the ER were more likely to have been drinking prior to the i
njury event, to be injured on the street and to report the event to be
related to violence compared either to those whose injuries were trea
ted elsewhere or to those who received no treatment for their injuries
. Conclusions: These data support the contention that findings on asso
ciations of alcohol and injury obtained from ER studies cannot be gene
ralized to other injuries in the same population or to other populatio
ns.