Alcohol-related injuries are an important public health issue worldwide. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of alcohol intake perceived by interviewers among injury victims seen at emergency departments in selected Brazilian cities. Cross-sectional data were collected from the injury surveillance system based on sentinel health services recently implemented in the country through intentional sampling in 2006 and 2007 and analyzed in Epi Info 3.5.1. Alcohol intake perception was higher in violence-related injuries than in unintentional injuries (37.9% versus 8%). For violence-related injuries, highest proportions of alcohol intake perception were observed among males (43.7%), 20 to 39 years old (45.3%), blacks (40.5%), and low schooling level victims (40.3%). Settings where these injuries occurred with the highest concerned proportions were taverns (78.2%) and public places (39.5%). Higher alcohol intake perception was observed in assaults (39.1%), suicide attempts (25.4%), transport-related injuries (16.8%), and falls victims (5.9%).