Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Safely
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Safely

St. Patrick’s Day is approaching. As you plan how you’ll celebrate the day, be sure to keep how you’ll get home safely when the fun is over.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving is a leading cause of accidents and deaths on St. Patrick's Day.

Between 2017 and 2021, 272 Americans died as a result of drunk-driving crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, with the highest percentage of accidents occurring on St. Patrick’s Day night.

Even if you’re not driving, it’s important to avoid overindulging, as walking while intoxicated can also be deadly. Drinking can impair your ability to assess the speed of approaching cars and slow your reaction time, making it difficult to cross roads safely. And the more you drink, the higher your risk. One study found that out of 176 pedestrian fatalities, 86 of those involved pedestrians who had been drinking, nearly all of whom had BACs of 0.10 percent or more.

 

There are ways to celebrate safely. These include:

  • Always drive 100% sober: Even one alcoholic beverage could be one too many. 

  • Plan ahead: Before you have even one drink, designate a sober driver to get you home safely. If you wait until you’ve been drinking to make this decision, you might not make the best one.

  • Be responsible: If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take your job seriously and don’t drink. There are plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available that you will allow you to raise a glass and enjoy the fun without raising your blood alcohol content.

  • Make alternate plans. If your designated driver is unavailable, call a taxi or rideshare.

  • Set a limit. Before you head out, determine how many drinks you want to have in total throughout the day or how much you want to spend. Taking only the amount of cash needed for your plan or taking a pre-paid gift card can be a helpful signal it’s time to stop.

  • Pace yourself. Avoid drinking games and shots. Stick to one standard alcoholic beverage per hour with non-alcoholic drinks in between. Water is your friend.

  • Don’t forget to eat and stay hydrated. Breaking up your beverages with food and plenty of water will help your body handle alcohol better and ensure you enjoy the day a bit more safely.

  • Protect your friends (and others): If someone who has been drinking is about to drive, take their keys and find them safe transportation home. If you’re concerned someone has consumed alcohol to excess, seek emergency help. Finally, if you see someone driving drunk, contact local law enforcement.

 

You’re not spoiling the fun; you’re potentially saving a life.

 

Sean Burns, MD, is the SVMC EMS Medical Director/District 12 Medical Advisor. 

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A Very Unusual Road Race

Matthew Vernon, MD, radiation oncologist at the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, and his wife Elisa Donato love running road races. In just the last 2 years, the couple has completed one full marathon, nearly 30 half marathons, and a generous sprinkling of races of other distances. They love to get the finisher medals at the ends of their races and take great pride in their extensive collection of them.

In February, they set out on a trip to run a 20-mile trail race up and down a volcano on an island in shark-filled Lake Nicaragua. And they thought that race would be their most unique of the year.

Matt and Elisa were training for their second full marathon, scheduled for April 26th in New Jersey, when COVID-19 hit.

"Of course the race was canceled," Dr. Vernon remembers. "But we couldn't be marathon-ready and not run." They had toyed with the idea of organizing a race of their own, so this seemed like the time to do it.

That is how the COVID Bridges Marathon/Half Marathon/10K/5K/AnyK was born. (The name is a quippy take on the popular Covered Bridges Half Marathon that happens in Woodstock, VT, each year. And yes, their marathon course also included covered bridges.)

Once the name stuck, they designed and ordered a finisher medal for everyone who signed up.

And as long as they were going to the trouble to start a virtual/distanced road race in the middle of a pandemic, why not raise some money, too? They started a Facebook group and a GoFundMe page, set a goal of $1,000, and designated the Cancer Center as the recipient. They recommended an entry fee of $10 per person, and lots of people signed up, including many colleagues from Southwestern Vermont Health Care.

"We were originally going to pick April 26, the same day as our marathon, but we thought we had a better chance for good weather in May," Dr. Vernon shared. They picked May 9. That day turned out to include heavy snow.

As a virtual race, however, they clarified that the run could occur at the time of the participant’s choosing, over the course of their choosing, of any distance. A few even bicycled in place of running. Many participants brought their kids along.

The event raised $1,045 for the Cancer Center. And people had a good time bonding over running and walking during this unusual time.

"In the end it was a great experience," Dr. Vernon said. "We had a blast, inspired some people to get out of the house, and raised some money for a good cause. And those medals will certainly inspire unique feelings when we see them hanging there among our collection."

 

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