Officials warn of increased risks on St. Patrick’s Day

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – As many people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, officials say it is known as the third biggest drinking day of the year.

News 12 spoke with the company Reframe about how to stay safe during the holiday.

Vedant Pradeep, CEO of Reframe, explained, “Having a clear plan. Just telling yourself whether it is two drinks, one drink, or no drinks. A plan really helps.”

St. Patrick’s Day is considered one of America’s deadliest holidays, ranking among the top days for binge drinking nationwide.

Pradeep stated, “So we usually do see a spike in the number of drinks logged and the number of people coming in. St. Patrick’s Day is pretty much associated with drinking, so the number of drinks logged typically goes up, usually by about 20 percent on average.”

He expanded that an estimated 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed worldwide during the celebration, which contributes to an increase in drunk driving crashes.

“It is a very difficult negotiation. Part of it is people not having a plan. The other part is that you are almost encouraged to drink, and then you drink a few and keep drinking. People start early in the day, which is another big risk. It is much worse to start earlier in the day than to start later. Something else we have been seeing is that people do not eat high protein meals, because if they did, that would also help reduce the impact alcohol has.”

Experts say a shift toward mindful drinking is beginning to change the conversation.

“The way that we approach it is we help people change the way they think about drinking, rather than just setting limits. We help people understand why they are drinking in the first place, what alcohol does to their body, and track what it is currently doing.”

While it can be a fun and festive holiday, experts emphasize that planning ahead and making responsible choices can help keep celebrations safe for everyone.