By: Jefferson Marshall
From Toronto to Dublin, the colour green will be proudly sported and drinks will be flowing throughout the day as St. Patrick’s Day is upon us.
The LinX Lounge at Humber decked out in green for St. Patrick’s Day (Shaunte Sterling)
While more than four-million Canadians are of Irish descent, the holiday will be celebrated by people of all backgrounds.
“I’m going to Queens [University] to party with my high school friends tonight,” said Josh Daley, a business administration student at the University of Guelph Humber.
“I haven’t seen these guys in a while so it’s going to be a good night.”
According to a study by online financial publication Wallethub, around the globe about 13-million pints of Guinness stout will be gulped down today. Some Humber College students are not looking to contribute to that statistic as they already have their drinking rotation planned out.
“I’m going to stay away from beer because it limits how much liquor I can drink later on,” said Sam Sullivan a Sustainable Energy and Building Technology student at Humber.
“I’ll probably stick with rum and Coke during the night and maybe some shots here and there.”
Despite St. Patrick’s Day being a holiday meant for fun, it can be dangerous when irresponsible choices are made.
“Young adults are usually the ones who tend to drink too much,” said Toronto Emergency Medical Services representative Adam Thurston.
“There’s a lot of parties that involve binge drinking, so in turn they will become too inebriated.”
Binge drinking is the act of intentionally becoming intoxicated by consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time. The consequences include dizziness, vomiting, and stress to the central nervous system which can cause memory loss.
“Always stay with a friend and pace yourself,” said Thurston
“Drink water throughout the night and don’t even think of driving.”
Impaired driving is also a concern for days like this. MADD Canada and Allstate insurance both advised people who are partaking in tonight’s festivities to stay safe and when it comes to a ride home, to plan ahead.
“In our business, we see the impact and consequences of impaired driving all too often,” said Allstate Canada President and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Michel in a press release.
“Together with MADD Canada, we encourage Canadians to make the ride home a sober one. There are plenty of options available. Driving impaired is never worth the risk.”