Have a Safe Blackout Wednesday ! ! !

It is Thanksgiving Eve, or Blackout Wednesday. . .

A Brief History:
Founded By: Many people take credit for starting the drinkfest.

Why: The Celebration! After you get to drinking the night before Thanksgiving, though, it can amount to a lot–with or without intention.

Where: This is a nationwide United States event.

When: It stated that a search history on Google beginning in 2014 with a side-name “Drinksgiving” dating to 2007. This concept itself is believed to have originated decades before the names, and I personally can attest that it goes back to at least before 1997, when I first heard the name “Black Wednesday”.

One of Four Dates Each Year with Levels of High Amounts of Drinking: Tonight being Blackout Wednesday, is a major bar event. Also New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and Halloween-are the other three of a total of four nights, where bars are packed and people–possibly yourself. . .and being tempted to go out to the bar and have more than a drink.

Why That Day? Getting ready for an extremely long holiday weekend, getting together with a combination of workplace friends, social friends, extended-family or celebrating a reunion with hometown friends, revelers find many reasons for drinking on this Thanksgiving Eve.

Exercise Care: Everyone needs to exercise care, as safety is of upmost concern, as drinking more than which is safe is always a danger, not only to yourself, but others. Counting drinks can become a blur as impairment starts at the onset. Always designate a driver that does not participate in the drinking, have a cab or Uber on stand-by, or walk if in condition to, or do anything possible to make sure that you do not drive or operate any machinery, including riding a bicycle–if you are drinking tonight, over these holidays or any day or night. It doesn’t take much! Each 12 ounce beer, 8 ounce glass of wine, or 1-1/2 ounce shot of 80 proof liquor is considered one drink. More than two drinks regularly poured (not a bartender’s long-pour) consumed in a one hour period are too much, as for each drink consumed adds up to .03 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), and .08 BAC is the limit in most states and municipalities between getting a DUI. Also weight can determine being impaired, but the results of the breathalyzer are constant. Bartenders who practice longpouring do not do a service to persons counting drinks, and also violate several civil laws including BASSET Alcohol Training certification, because if they are to long pour drinks–the people consuming drinks cannot be able to meter their drinking. Drinking fades over a period of time at a constant rate of exactly .03 BAC per hour. So if you have three drinks and wait an hour, you could pass a breathalyzer. Keep in mind that an accident while drinking, even if you are not over the limit of a DUI can have a devastating effect on your liability and whether or not your insurance could be affected. By the time you make it to finishing the third drink in a short period of time, you can be over the limit. Also keep in mind that if you have a CDL classification or drive a school bus for a living, that USDOT requires that your license requirements that the breathalyzer limit is at a rate of one half the amount, even in off hours or while not driving a truck. In Illinois, where I live, that limit for a DUI being a CDL is .04. The amount could vary state by state, but the idea is the same. That means more than one drink could be a problem. Tolerance is all cases are never an asset, because it is only great for disguising the fact that you may be over the limit. When it comes to passing a breathalyzer, it is not an art of passing, but a science. You will not be able to alter the results if you have had too much to drink. So be very careful this holiday season while having a few drink or more. . .

A Few Facts:
If you receive a DUI, It can cost, and cost very dearly. . .
The Cost of Getting A DUI:
Any Day is a Bad Day to Be Impaired:  The cost can be really large if you get caught impaired and receive a DUI. It is even worse if you get in an accident, hurt someone including yourself or others, or kill someone including yourself. Make sure if you are going to have a cocktail, that you are very careful. There are always a lot of incontestable road safety checks over the holidays, and it doesn’t take too much to be in trouble. The average first DUI over $10,000 these days, not to mention the safety factor, it really isn’t worth it to chance it. If you have already had a DUI and continue out over the holiday and get caught:

• The costs of the fines alone could cost as much as $25,000
• The towing fees and/or impound fines
• A defense attorney
• Probation or parole
• Higher insurance premiums
• Possible cost of obtaining SR-22 risk insurance premiums
• In-patient or out-patient counseling as directed from court imposed mandate
• Alcohol and drug assessment
  
• Reinstatement fees and/or lawyer’s fees in association with getting a restricted driving permit
• The secretary of state’s request for you to be in the risk group that is required to do the written test and the driver’s tests on a timed basis in order to renew your license or restricted permit.
• Having to have a BAIID device– or a portable breathalyzer installed in your car in order to be able to start the car, which incurs monthly charges with a company that installs such equipment. . .plus yearly charges for the state that you received the DUI in to monitor the use of your car starts and rolling checkpoints.
• Only being able to drive a vehicle with the BAIID machine installed.
• Not being able to drive for a company in their company vehicle, or to have a job like Uber, where driving is part of the “work”. You must always have the route you are driving cleared with the secretary of state, and ON THE PERMIT explicitly–in order to be permitted to drive, in all cases!
• Renewal of such restricted permits for the whole period of time until your license is eligible for reinstatement, or the penalty period– on a yearly or bi-yearly time frame.

The Future Can Be  a Great one:
Your freedom and privilege to drive is on the line. It certainly is just not worth and the chance to injure and/or kill yourself, or another person. It is just not worth it. Also, make sure to pay special attention to any new marijuana laws, as it isn’t worth getting in trouble because of ignorance of knowledge of any new laws, as it is NOT legal in any state to smoke while driving around in the car. The best gift of all is to make it through the all the holidays, including Blackout Wednesday or any day without trouble. Remember, managing drinking and/or using drugs can be very costly and dangerous!

Best Suggestion:
Always be careful!

Hashtags:
#BlackoutWednesday #BlackWednesday #Drinksgiving #Holidays

Safety Through Your Holidays!