It’s no secret that St. Patrick’s Day has a reputation for being a “drinking” holiday. People drink whiskey and Guinness and beer full of green food coloring. This is all central to the celebration. At least, that’s the reputation that the day has. Is it real or just perception? How much do people actually drink?
More than four drinks
Of course, you can find anecdotal evidence from everywhere, from the person who never drinks to the person who has so much they can’t even remember most of the day. When you average it all out, though, some studies show that the average person is going to have about 4.2 drinks.
This does not quite put St. Patrick’s Day in the top spot, as far as holidays are concerned. It is fourth. Ahead of it are New Year’s, Christmas and the Fourth of July. But it is clear that this green-themed holiday in the spring certainly causes people to have more alcohol than they would otherwise.
Plus, 4.2 is just the average. For every person who doesn’t have a single drink, this means that there is someone else out there drinking six, seven or eight drinks and helping to average it out.
This can lead to increased DUI risks
As you can imagine, a holiday based around drinking absolutely can lead to elevated DUI risks. Even just the average of four drinks is plenty to put most people over the legal limit. As noted, many people are drinking far more than the average. Some of them drink at home or plan safe ways to get home from the bar, but you also have people who get behind the wheel. Many don’t realize how intoxicated they are or think they’re under the legal limit when they’re not.
If the holiday spirit causes you to take things a bit too far and you get arrested on DUI charges, you may be worried about your future. You are not alone. You also have legal defense options. Make sure you are well aware of what they are and how to use them.
