Back Out of Blackout Wednesday

Carving the turkey, spending time with family, and playing festive fall games are typical Thanksgiving Day activities, but what about the night before? Many celebrate a lesser-known holiday, Drinksgiving, more formally known as Blackout Wednesday. Drinksgiving, or Blackout Wednesday, as the name implies, typically consists of binge drinking before the following day’s festivities. The packed bars on Blackout Wednesday can be attributed to the fact that most people are off the next day for Thanksgiving, including college students. Binge drinking on “Drinksgiving” is more common among college students who have just returned home from the long Thanksgiving weekend. It has become a way of “pregaming” Thanksgiving, but it often has grave consequences.

Binge drinking, regardless of the day, is a hazardous activity, and no way to spend the night before Thanksgiving. Binge drinking poses high health risks including alcohol poisoning, poor motor control, vomiting, or seizures in extreme cases. While these effects are temporary, binge drinking can have long-term effects including damage to vital organs including your liver and heart. Off the roads, binge drinking can have other adverse effects on an individual including making them vulnerable to injuries, fights, or assault as a result of a fogged mental state.

Not only does binge drinking pose high health risks for an individual, but it also endangers those sharing the road with post-Drinksgiving drivers. As indicated by the term “blackout”, the night’s driving usually results in drunkenness. According to Traffic Safety Marketing statistics, over 800 fatalities were a result of Blackout Wednesday’s drinking in recent years. The National Safety Council estimates that more than 400 people may die in fatal crashes around the Thanksgiving period. Although a bar may be the night’s hotspot, you, your family, and your friends will thank you for abstaining from participating on the busiest drinking day in America.

Staying off the roads and in the kitchen helping prepare Thanksgiving dishes is the ideal place to be the night before Thanksgiving. My family has established a habit of running through a list of ingredients we need for our Thanksgiving dishes to avoid last-minute grocery runs, for both convenience and safety. Planning, so that you spend the day home preparing is a smart way to ensure you’ll be at the thanksgiving table the next day. Aside from preparing dishes, you could be responsible for brainstorming or creating games to play with friends and family after dinner; holiday games always make the night more memorable. Creating Thanksgiving decorations, like hand turkeys or gratitude leaves is another option for sprucing up your Thanksgiving Day. 

If you find yourself on the roads on “Drinksgiving”, ensure that whoever is driving is sober, highly alert, and aware of the risk of drunk drivers. You may also wish to dedicate yourself as the designated driver to ensure a safe trip home for your passengers. Back out of Wednesday’s blackout for a safe, happy Thanksgiving weekend; it’ll be another thing you can share that you’re thankful for at the dinner table.