Binge drinking not only causes holiday heart syndrome in adults but can lead people to make very bad decisions. One dangerous decision is to drink and drive, which becomes more common during the holiday season and results in many deaths. Drunk driving is 100% preventable and saving lives during the holidays will keep up the joyous holiday spirit.

What is binge drinking? 

Binge drinking means 5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women consumed within a short period of time (i.e., a couple of hours).

Who is more likely to drink and drive? 

• Young people: In 2016, of all drivers with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels of over 0.08% involved in fatal crashes, 27% of them were ages 25-34 and 26% of them were ages 21-24.
• Men: In 2010, men were responsible for 81% of drinking and driving episodes.
• Binge drinkers: 85% of drunk driving episodes were reported by binge drinkers in 2010.

Drunk driving during the holidays

There are many reasons people binge drink during the holidays. They can include celebrating at multiple holiday parties and events or trying to cope with increased stress and loneliness.

Increased binge drinking might make people unable to notice how drunk they really are. Many people aged 21 and over don’t know what high-risk drinking looks like. This leads people to say they feel okay to drive after binge drinking, which can lead to possibly fatal car crashes. In 2018, there were 285 drunk-driving-related deaths during the Christmas and New Year periods.

Stopping drunk driving

Here are ways individuals can prevent drunk driving:

• Before drinking, choose a sober driver when you’re with a group.
• Don’t let your friends drive drunk.
• If you have been drinking, ask a sober friend for a ride home, take an Uber/Lyft, or call a taxi.
• If you’re hosting a holiday party, remind your guests to choose a sober driver; you can serve non-alcoholic drinks and make sure all your guests leave with a sober driver.

Have questions or curious to learn more?  Please reach out to our Health Center and make an appointment to speak with a doctor.  AACI provides services in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and many other languages. Call (408) 975-2763 to schedule your appointment today!