Are you a clinician of any discipline working in neurosurgery units and rehabilitation services who has experience working in acute TBI care?
Is moderate drinking safe after traumatic brain injury? Rachel Sayko Adams, PhD, MPH John D. Corrigan, PhD
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24 BRAIN INJURY professional
Most individuals who experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) reduce their drinking in the immediate weeks or months after injury, yet many resume drinking over time, eventually returning to pre-TBI levels or greater. While excessive alcohol use; such as binge drinking, is clearly not recommended regardless of one’s history of brain injury, little is known about the safety or risks of drinking at moderate levels after TBI. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines “low-risk” drinking as no more than 4 drinks on any given day for men, 3 drinks per day for women, and no more than 14 drinks per week for men and no more than 7 drinks per week for women. Studies have found that individuals with a history of TBI who misuse alcohol following injury suffer from more negative consequences, such as lower subjective well-being, unemployment, seizures, suicide risk, and premature mortality. Yet, again, scientific studies have not examined if these risks remain for individuals with a history of TBI who drink at levels generally considered “low-risk” for healthy individuals according to NIAAA. We also do not know how alcohol use of any amount interacts with other aspects of chronic brain injury. Until longitudinal studies are done to systematically address this critical research gap, rehabilitation clinicians faced with questions about the safety or harms of moderate drinking after TBI will be limited to the following response - “We don’t know, though we are sure that not drinking will not harm you.”
Author Bios Rachel Sayko Adams, PhD, MPH, is a Scientist at the Institute for Behavioral Health at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She is also a Health Services Researcher at the Veterans Health Administration's Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center. John D. Corrigan, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Ohio State University and Director of the Ohio Valley Center for Brain Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation, which, among other activities, is the designated lead agency in the state of Ohio for TBI policy and planning.