As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we look forward to time off from classes and, if we’re lucky, work. The holiday often includes getting together with friends and family, and alcohol may play a big role in these celebrations.

In fact, Thanksgiving Eve is one of the “booziest” days of the year, often referred to as “Blackout Wednesday” or “Drinksgiving.”

This date marks the official countdown to the holiday season, the trifecta of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. College students on break are excited to meet up with friends at the local pub or at a party. This can lead to binge drinking, and sometimes alcohol overdose, which can be fatal. Drug use may also play a part here, too, specifically opioids, leading to potentially fatal overdoses.

To raise awareness of the effects of binge drinking and the dangers of alcohol and opioid overdoses, the Wellness Center has partnered with ADAC (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council) to host “How to Save a Life: Preventing deaths from opioid and alcohol overdoses,” a hands-on workshop just in time for the holidays.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 20^th from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm in the Fireside Lounge, Shepard Student Center, 2^nd floor. Space is limited, so please reserve a seat for this important and enlightening presentation: register here https://machform.sunyorange.edu/view.php?id=902594

You will learn:

• how to recognize the signs of an overdose
• what to do in the event of a suspected overdose
• how to administer Narcan/Naloxone, the drug that reverses an opioid overdose (you will receive a kit)
• how to perform bystander CPR (not BLS)

Buzzed driving is drunk driving

Thanksgiving Eve is also a time of heightened traffic fatalities due to drunk or impaired driving. If you choose to imbibe, don’t drive.

From 2017-2021:

• 137 alcohol impaired drivers were involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve
• young adult drivers ages 21-24 represented the largest percentage (44%) of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve

If you’ve been drinking, stay safe: call a sober friend, a taxi, or rideshare to get you home safely. Better yet, add a sober designated driver to your agenda before you party. It’s not an indulgence �" it’s a necessity.

For more information call the Wellness Center at (845) 341-4870 or email wellnesscenter@sunyorange.edu.