Have a Safe Blackout Wednesday !

It is Thanksgiving Eve, or Blackout Wednesday! Enjoy the holiday season, but exercise care for safety to everyone. . .

Blackout Wednesday Means Safety ! ! ! 

🍺 🍻 🥂 🍷 🍸 🍹 🍶 🥃 🍾 🍺 🍻 🥂 🍷 🍸 🍹 🍶 🥃 🍾

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

Why: The Celebration! Sometimes after getting 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. . .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. 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. Driving, including riding a bicycle–if 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 having three drinks and waiting an hour, makes passing a breathalyzer a possibility. Keep in mind that an accident while drinking, even not being over the limit of a DUI can have a devastating effect on liability and whether or not insurance could be affected. By the time to making it to finishing the third drink in a short period of time, being over the limit is a great possibility. Also keep in mind that having a CDL classification or drive a school bus for a living, that USDOT requires that 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 being over the limit is a great possibility. When it comes to passing a breathalyzer, it is not an art of passing, but a science. Being able to alter the results after having had too much to drink is not possible. Also remember to exercise care if administering medications while using alcohol. Also if with marijuana use, remember that driving and post don’t mix! It is not legal in any state to be under the influence of any mind altering substance and have impairment from driving skills, withstanding it being able to do so legally otherwise. So being careful this holiday season while having a few drink or more is the best bet. . .

A Few Facts:
Receiving a DUI, 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 getting caught impaired and receive a DUI. It is even worse if an accident occurs, someone gets inured no matter how, or someone gets killed, even the driver. Make sure if  a cocktail is in the cards, that proper care is exercised. 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. Already having 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
• A suspended or revoked drivers license
• 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
  
• License reinstatement fees and/or lawyer’s fees in association with getting a restricted driving permit
• The secretary of state’s request for the risk group that is required to do the written test and the driver’s tests on a timed basis in order to renew a license or restricted permit.
• Having to have a BAIID device– or a portable breathalyzer installed in the 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 the incidence of DUI occurred, in to monitor the use of the car starts and rolling checkpoints.
• A CDL license risks permanent revocation.
• Only being able to drive a vehicle with BAIID machines 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”. Having the driving route or area cleared for driving in, on the Restricted Permit 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 the license is eligible for reinstatement, or the penalty period– on a yearly or bi-yearly time frame.

The Future Can Be  a Great One:
Freedom and privilege to drive is on the line. It certainly is just not worth and the chance to injure and/or kill anybody. 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!

Resources For Problem Drinking:
There are resources so nobody needs to go through an addiction alone!

Support Group Assistance:

There Is Help Out There:
Alcohol affects people of all ages, races, sexes, and does not discriminate. It could be any member of your family, a friend, co-worker or acquaintance. Also, if someone involved with alcohol is an addict, the chances of relapsing on another drug of choice are very high during and after drinking. It is really important to note that when someone does have a problem, that unless they are true to themselves and not only seek help, but want a change in lifestyle–all the help in the world will not assist them.

Mutual-Support Groups:

• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), for persons directly seeking membership if they think that they have a drinking problem.
• Al-Anon Family Groups, for families, peers, and persons being affected by someone with a drinking problem.
• Narcotics Anonymous (NA), for persons directly seeking membership if they think that they are an addict in combination of a drinking problem or without a drinking problem.
• Nar-Anon Family Groups, for families, peers, and persons being affected by someone with an addict’s behavior with or without a drinking problem.
• Celebrate Recovery, for persons directly seeking recovery with a Christian based 12-step program.
• Other 12-step programs. . .

All 12-step programs provide peer support for people quitting or cutting back on their drinking, and if there is another addiction, the other resources may be in the individual’s best interest to trial. There are programs for families, peers and friends who are directly affected by problematic drinking and/or addiction. Combined with a treatment plan led by health professionals, mutual-support groups can offer a valuable added layer of support. Many health professionals in most modern times even have direct information to provide to individuals to find a proper support group. Even though the anonymous nature of mutual-support groups make it difficult for researchers to determine the success rates compared with those led by health professionals, many have become most assured in these modern days that they are indeed a complete asset in the reliance of being able to overcome a problem such as alcohol dependence.

Hashtags:
#BlackoutWednesday #BlackWednesday #Drinksgiving #Holidays

Safety Through The Holidays!