RISE Blog | Don’t Let Your Irish Luck Run Out: A Guide For Staying Safe On St. Patrick’s Day

By: Vanessa Baro, Peer Educator
March 10th, 2023

As spring approaches, so does St. Patrick's Day–everyone's favorite Irish holiday! A day full of celebration in so many fashions, it is important to remember ways to keep yourself and others safe and taken care of. Before getting into safety tips for this year's Paddy's day, a brief history of how this holiday started is essential in getting into the holiday spirit.

History

St. Patrick's day–or sometimes known as St. Paddy's day–is annually celebrated on March 17th. It began in ninth-century Ireland in celebration of Saint Patrick. At first, it was a simple gathering where people came together to eat and be merry but now, St. Patrick's day, especially in big cities like New York, has over 150,000 participants in its yearly parade.

Although St. Patrick's Day is a fun and eventful day for most people, especially college students, it is important to keep yourself (and your friends) safe! In the next few paragraphs, I will highlight some tips on staying safe while also having fun.

Stick by your friends

I'm sure this has been said a thousand times but moving in groups is a lot safer than going out alone. Make sure you are surrounded by people you trust and are comfortable with. For example, you could have a buddy system where each person is accountable for another person in the group. This makes sure that someone has your back, especially in unsafe situations. If possible, make plans to meet up during and/or after your night out to check in with each other, be aware of your surroundings, and have fun. There truly is safety in numbers!

Drink safely and responsibly

If you do decide to drink and are of the legal age (21), drink safely and responsibly. According to The Recovery Village, between 2015 and 2019, 280 people were killed in drunk driving incidents during St. Patrick's Day and it's estimated that a drunk driving death occurs every 30 minutes during St. Patrick's Day. An extremely high amount of people die from preventable alcohol-related issues, like binge drinking, of which also significantly increases during this holiday. It's important to note that binge drinking has severe side effects on the body, even when not done regularly. Make sure to track how many standard drinks you are having per hour and pace yourself accordingly, and RISE has a great tool for tracking your BAC (blood alcohol content) according to your sex assigned at birth and weight. Here are some other tips to ensure you are drinking responsibly:

Do not drink on an empty stomach and stay hydrated throughout the day
Do not drive while under the influence, remember the legal driving limit is 0.08% in Texas
- It's always safer to have a sober designated driver or call an uber/lyft/taxi
Keep an eye on your drink to avoid it being tampered with
- Closed drinks like cans and bottles are your best bet
- Avoid accepting drinks from people you don't know or trust
Remember, staying sober is always an option! Do not feel pressured to drink

Stay away from unknown drugs and pills

Party drugs like MDMAs, cocaine, meth, etc, have long-term effects on the body. On their own or taken in tandem with other drugs and/or alcohol, these types of drugs can lead to impaired function, loss of consciousness, organ failure, heart issues, and even death. It's easy to get carried away during the holidays but it's important to keep yourself safe. Some ways you can do this are by not accepting any strange pills, drugs, or unknown substances from anyone, keeping your drinks covered or closed, and making sure that surfaces near you, as well as yourself, are clean and well taken care of.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism “using alcohol with opioid pain relievers such as oxycodone and morphine or illicit opioids such as heroin is also a very dangerous combination. Like alcohol, these drugs suppress areas in the brain that control vital functions such as breathing. Ingesting alcohol and other drugs together intensifies their individual effects and could produce an overdose with even moderate amounts of alcohol”.

It is also important to remember that it doesn't matter if you only take it once, there is still a possibility of overdosing, so it is very important to be aware of your surroundings and to take care of yourself and those around you at all times. To do this, it is also important to recognize the signs of alcohol poisoning and drug overdose. Some signs include:

Mental Confusion
Difficulty Remaining Conscious
Vomiting
Seizure
Trouble Breathing
Slow Heart Rate
Clammy Skin
Dulled Responses Such As No Gag Reflex (Which Prevents Choking)
Extremely Low Body Temperature

Have fun and wear green!

Remember to have fun with your friends and wear green to get in the holiday spirit! According to Jess from Always The Holidays, there is also mythology that says if a person wears green, they become invisible to leprechauns. Lore says the leprechauns like to pinch anyone they can see, so wearing green is a good way to avoid being pinched! You could also go the extra mile and paint your face orange, green and white–the Ireland flag colors!

All in all, enjoying this joyous holiday can be full of laughter and celebration, and keeping some of these safety tips in mind will help ensure that you are able to appreciate it all night and for many years to come!