A Closer Look at Alcohol Consumption on St. Patrick’s Day
Last year WalletHub put out their annual “St. Patrick’s Day By the Numbers” infographic. The eye-opening data included the fact that 55% of Americans celebrate the holiday and more than $5 billion was predicted to be spent. St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally one of the biggest drinking days of the year. WalletHub ranked the holiday as 3rd amongst the most popular drinking dates and estimates that an average 4.2 drinks is consumed per person. Binge drinking is also increased with 32% of men admitting to binge drinking.
Unfortunately, the increased drinking over St. Patrick’s Day can turn deadly. According to WalletHub’s data:
- “44% of people killed in drunk driving crashes during 2013-2017 St. Patrick’s Day Holidays were between 21 and 34 years old.
- 75% of fatal St. Patrick’s Day holiday car crashes involved a drunk driver.
- 32% of pedestrians killed in 2017 St. Patrick’s Day holiday crashes had a blood-alcohol level of .08+” (percent or higher).
For many popular drinking days such as St. Patrick’s Day offer a reason to binge drink or participate in heavy drinking. If you are celebrating the holiday outside of your home, you should always designate a sober driver or take a safe ride. Fatal drunk driving crashes are completely preventable.
If you have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, there is no better time to seek treatment. St. Patrick’s Day and other popular drinking days do not have to be alcohol centric. There are numerous ways to celebrate the green holiday including cooking a special dinner of corn beef and cabbage. You can also enjoy some Celtic music, get the whole family involved in St. Patrick’s Day crafts and fun, or take in one of the many St. Patrick’s Day Sober events held throughout the country.