July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Celebrate New Year responsibly
Letters to the editor
Like much of the country, alcohol use is an accepted everyday occurrence in our community and on most days not much is thought about it. During the holidays it seems to be an issue not just in our community, but across the country. It seems that when families get together for the holidays, they tend to drink more. Imagine that.
While doing research to write this letter I was shocked to find that New Years Eve is not No. 1 in alcohol-related fatalities among the holidays; it is Thanksgiving. With that being said, I do not want to take away from the importance of staying safe this New Years. The latest statistics from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that between 6 p.m. New Years Eve and 5:59 a.m. New Years Day in 2008 there were 59 alcohol-related driving fatalities. When taking the same measurement during the same time period two weeks later, there were only 13 alcohol-related driving fatalities. That is about a 450 percent increase for that specific holiday period compared to a comparable day of the week anytime throughout the year.
If you do choose to drink this New Years, please do so responsibly. Please stay where you are or have a designated driver. Adults, please do not serve minors. It is not a right of passage and it is not OK just because it is New Years. It is still illegal and continues to be illegal all 365 days of the year. Please, if you see someone who is going to attempt to drive and you know they have been drinking, stop them. If you cannot stop them, report it to the authorities. By doing so you could be responsible for saving a life.
Imagine going to bed in 2010 to wake up in 2011 without one of your friends or loved ones because someone made the choice to drink and drive — taking them from you as a result. What if you are the driver? What if the last thing you do in 2010 is take away someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, etc.? How would your new year be?
Please everyone have a safe New Years and a wonderful 2011. The Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition meets again Jan. 17 at 3:30 p.m. in the second floor south conference room at East Jay Middle School. We would love to see you there.
PJ Corwin
Jay County Drug
Prevention Coalition[[In-content Ad]]
While doing research to write this letter I was shocked to find that New Years Eve is not No. 1 in alcohol-related fatalities among the holidays; it is Thanksgiving. With that being said, I do not want to take away from the importance of staying safe this New Years. The latest statistics from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that between 6 p.m. New Years Eve and 5:59 a.m. New Years Day in 2008 there were 59 alcohol-related driving fatalities. When taking the same measurement during the same time period two weeks later, there were only 13 alcohol-related driving fatalities. That is about a 450 percent increase for that specific holiday period compared to a comparable day of the week anytime throughout the year.
If you do choose to drink this New Years, please do so responsibly. Please stay where you are or have a designated driver. Adults, please do not serve minors. It is not a right of passage and it is not OK just because it is New Years. It is still illegal and continues to be illegal all 365 days of the year. Please, if you see someone who is going to attempt to drive and you know they have been drinking, stop them. If you cannot stop them, report it to the authorities. By doing so you could be responsible for saving a life.
Imagine going to bed in 2010 to wake up in 2011 without one of your friends or loved ones because someone made the choice to drink and drive — taking them from you as a result. What if you are the driver? What if the last thing you do in 2010 is take away someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, etc.? How would your new year be?
Please everyone have a safe New Years and a wonderful 2011. The Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition meets again Jan. 17 at 3:30 p.m. in the second floor south conference room at East Jay Middle School. We would love to see you there.
PJ Corwin
Jay County Drug
Prevention Coalition[[In-content Ad]]
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