St. Patrick’s day is this Sunday, and many of you will be out celebrating all things Irish. Which means plenty of wearing green and eating and drinking with friends. But this festive holiday can also be dangerous.
Question: What do we need to be aware of while enjoying the festivities?
Drinking green beer while celebrating with friends can be fun. However, we need to be careful that you don’t end up binge drinking. And how do you know if you’re doing this? Well, for women that means consuming four drinks in two hours, and for men, it’s five drinks in two hours. So you really need to watch your alcohol intake.
Question: How does binge drinking for one day harm your health?
Well, binge drinking can lead to bad decisions which can lead to injuries, assault and car crashes. It’s also one of the main causes of alcohol poisoning. Now what happens when you drink, is the alcohol floods your bloodstream. And too much can impact your heart rate, breathing and body temperature. And this can lead to coma and death. Now I don’t want you thinking that binge drinking is just for college students. Because the CDC found that middle-aged folks actually suffered more from alcohol poisoning than adults under the age of 35.
Question: How can we enjoy the festivities but also stay safe?
There are some safety guidelines to be aware of:
1. It’s important to stay hydrated. Although alcohol is liquid it does not help with this. So drink one glass of water in between your drinks.
2. Eat some food before you start drinking. It will slow down how quickly alcohol is absorbed. But know that it won’t prevent alcohol poisoning, just lower your risk.
3. Aim to drink one alcoholic beverage per hour. So choose between 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.
4. And lastly, know the signs of alcohol poisoning, like confusion, slow or irregular breathing, seizures, blue-tinged or pale skin and passing out. If you see this, don’t be afraid to seek help.
Now I want you to enjoy your St. Patty’s day festivities, just please celebrate safely.
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