University of Kentucky and law enforcement urge everyone to safely celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY- St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and law enforcement agencies and health experts are urging everyone not to press their luck when it comes to celebrating this weekend.

Ronnie Ward, the public information officer for the Bowling Green Police Department, explains the importance of driving sober. Ward says, “There’s never a reason to drive intoxicated or under the influence of anything. There’s no good reason whatsoever. There’s too many options to be able to avoid.”

We also spoke with a University of Kentucky Alex Elswick, a substance use prevention and recovery professor. He says, “Any amount of alcohol consumed is considered harmful. But if you specifically want to look at sort of what constitutes excessive drinking, we define binge drinking as five or more drinks, standard drinks for a man in a single sitting.”

Alex also tells us If you’re planning to consume any alcohol, having a designated driver will not just help you during the holiday. It could also benefit you in the long run, and overly consuming alcohol has caused over 178,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. “Among 20 to 49-year-olds, 20% of their deaths will be due to alcohol. So it’s excessive. Alcohol consumption is certainly a serious problem. As you pointed out, St Patrick’s Day is one of the two or three holidays that encourages the most alcohol consumption.”

To remain as safe as possible. law enforcement agencies across south central Kentucky will have sobriety checkpoints, and extra law enforcement officers will be out patrolling, and they are urging everyone to always celebrate safely.