The role of alcohol in mortality and morbidity from interpersonal violence

Alcohol is regarded widely as a causal factor in interpersonal violence in Great Britain. However, much of the evidence used to support this association is anecdotal, or at best, based on descriptive studies. Data calculated from cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies, undertaken in Great Britain, show that individuals who consume alcohol are several times more likely to perpetrate violence, or to be the victims of violence, than individuals who do not consume alcohol. If criteria for causality are used to assess these findings, then it would appear that alcohol is likely to be a causal factor in both violence perpetration and violence victimization. However, the proportion of interpersonal violence caused by alcohol and the levels of alcohol consumption associated with significantly increased risks of involvement in interpersonal violence cannot be identified from the data available to date.