Black Wednesday a Dangerous Drinking Day

Today is known as Black Wednesday, one of the busiest drinking days of the year for young people. This makes for dangerous situations because of drunken driving and binge drinking, and authorities are urging young people – and their parents – to be responsible.

Promoting Black Wednesday

We all know about the great shopping deals on Black Friday, the Shop Small Day on Saturday, and the online deals on Cyber Monday, but among young people a new day is emerging: Black Wednesday. This is the day that many young people drink, rivaling even New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day. Naming it Black Wednesday gives this day a menacing feel; the day’s drinking often results in people blacking out or getting into serious car crashes.

Still, every year this unofficial celebration before Thanksgiving continues to grow, and local establishments across the country are now capitalizing on it. They offer drink specials named for the day, and they bring in extra staff and more promotions to get young people in the doors. What bars don’t acknowledge is that they are not only promoting things like underage drinking and binge drinking, but lives are in danger because of the heavy focus on drinking.

Partying With Friends

The night before Thanksgiving is such a big drinking night for young people because many are home from school, they don’t have to work the next day, and they have the opportunity to get together with friends they don’t see very often. Many young people, home from college for the holiday weekend, go out on Black Wednesday to catch up with friends before all the family get-togethers the next day.

It’s often the young people who have been away at college or on their own for a short time who are drinking on Black Wednesday, and many of them are still underage. Parents are urged to keep an eye on their young adult and help them learn the importance of responsible drinking. “We want to encourage parents to talk to young adults and underage teens about the risks involved in providing and consuming alcohol underage,” states Midwestern Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald. “We want a safe, happy holiday season for everyone.” (1)

Responsibility of the Parents

Some parents allow their underage child to drink alcohol during the holidays, adding even more drinkers to the dangerous mix. “Holidays, in general, tend to provide more of an opportunity for minors to drink because it’s more accessible and available to them,” said Lisa Hutcheson, director of the nonprofit Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking. “There are some young people who say they go from garage to garage and get a few bottles and no one notices.” (2)

Young people need to understand the dangers of underage drinking, binge drinking, and of drinking and driving. Parents can help teach their children the importance of responsible drinking, and the holidays provide a great opportunity to do just that.