Don't push your luck this weekend. Millions of Americans are going to choose to partake in the festivities planned for this weekend. This is not the issue we are worried about; I can tell you that if I wasn’t working, I would be enjoying this holiday along with everyone else. The problem comes when people make the choice to drive after having indulged a bit too much. According to Alcohol.org, St. Patrick’s Day pulls in at number 3 in the list of most popular holidays for drinking. Don’t forget driving high is also illegal. If you are choosing to party with the other green, do so in the comfort of your home and do not drive.  

Here are some sobering facts: 

• One in six U.S. adults binge drinks about four times a month, consuming about eight drinks per binge. 

• While binge drinking is more common among young adults aged 18–34 years, binge drinkers aged 65 years and older report binge drinking more often—an average of five to six times a month. 

• The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) says that more than 1,800 college student deaths a year, mostly from drunken driving, can be attributed to binge drinking. 

Some common sense tips can help keep you safe include: 

* Be aware of the danger on the road: Binge drinkers are 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving than non-binge drinkers. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes says the CDC binge drinking fact sheet. 

* Know your limits and pal-up with a non-drinking friend. 

* Make a plan: “Be certain that there is always a designed driver in your party and try to have fun and conversations with non-drinkers,” says Diana Limoncelli, project coordinator in alcohol research at Yale. 

* Be wary of too-good-to-be true suggestions such as taking yeast and drinking all night. 

(Psychology Today) 

(Drinking Statistics) 

#StPatricksDay #StPaddysDay #LuckoftheIrish #BuzzedDriving