St. Patrick's Day: Keep it Safe

By Beatrice Flores

It’s that time of the year when many of us are looking forward to spring and getting away for a spring break. For adults, college students and even some high schoolers, St. Patrick’s Day is a festive occasion that kicks off the season. It is great to get away from schoolwork and relax. But St. Patrick’s Day also is associated with high levels of drinking and public intoxication, whether at local parties, pub crawls, parades or festivals.

St. Patrick’s Day parties and pre-parties can be fun and friendly, or otherwise. I’ve watched students get loopy, loud and clumsy. I remember one party in particular when an acquaintance arrived already a bit drunk and became hostile at the party, eventually leading to a fight. Fortunately, no one ended up in the hospital. 

These events don’t always end happily. Festive events sometimes end in fatalities. We see it on TV or read about it in the papers. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathway and makes it harder to think clearly and move the body with coordination. This poses a danger to both the drunk driver and others.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), some 2.8 million college students between the ages of 18 and 24 report that they have driven under the influence of alcohol. Each year 1,835 college students die from alcohol-related injuries.

More than 690,000 in this age group are assaulted by another student who has been drinking, and 97,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. With four out of five college students reporting that they drink, college drinking is considered a major public health issue of concern.

With St. Patrick’s Day on a weekend this year, the Fairfax County Police Department and other area police will be beefing up their patrols to keep residents safe. SoberRide, a program offered by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), operates on St. Patrick’s Day for those 21 and over to get would-be drunk drivers home safely and keep the roads safe. This is a great program many St. Patty party-goers can use by calling (800) 200-TAXI or AT&T customers can dial #WRAP (#9727).

Whether you are meeting a few friends at a local pub after class or work or attending a festival or parade, if you are considering drinking alcohol, please don’t drive. Keep a cab number with you or designate a driver before you head out. If you’re under 21, don’t drink. And don’t hesitate to report drunk drivers you see; they endanger everyone on the road.

Have a fun and safe St. Patrick’s Day! Remember that “It’s a choice, not luck, which will determine the end of a party night. Don’t drink & drive!”

Beatrice Flores is a graduate student in George Mason University’s School of Public Health and an intern with the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County.

The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County is a nonprofit organization with more than 50 community partners working together to keep youth and young adults safe and drug-free. Visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org.