During the holiday season many of us associate celebrations with good food, an extra helping of cookies, and a spiked hot toddy or two. A bit of indulgence may not be a bad thing this time of year; however, driving under the influence is never a good thing, any time of year.
Emergency Services Medical Director Justin MacKinnon, MD, FACEP; and Behavioral Health Services Director Jayme Smith, PsyD, both with Rochester Regional Health’s St. Lawrence Region, reported they see increases of excessive drinking and/or drug use around the winter holidays.
“Our goal is a safe holiday season for everyone, so their time can be spent with friends and family, rather than in our trauma bays,” Dr. MacKinnon said.
“Our Emergency Departments see an uptick in patients presenting as victims of motor vehicle accidents during the holidays. A significant number of these accidents have drug or alcohol use as a factor in the reason for the crash,” he added. “While anyone in a motor vehicle accident can present as an injured patient, we most often see sober drivers and passengers (who are the victims of an impaired driver) needing care for more significant injuries.”
Emergency patients of such accidents often have injuries to bones and muscles from blunt trauma, but can have more severe injuries to their brains, spinal cords, or solid organs.
“While we manage many of these traumatic injuries at Canton-Potsdam Hospital as a Level III Trauma Center, more severely injured patients must be transported to tertiary care centers. This is especially true for patients with neurological injuries or injuries to major blood vessels,” MacKinnon said.
“As healthcare providers who care about our patients and our communities, we hope every year that people make smart decisions so they don’t end up as patients in our Emergency Departments,” he said, referring to Gouverneur, Massena, and Canton-Potsdam hospitals.
Avoid celebrating excessively
Smith noted when mild drinkers host or go to parties, they may indulge more than usual, and may not be thinking about how their bodies are being affected.
“Many people offer alcoholic drinks at holiday celebrations and it can be easy to get caught up in the holiday atmosphere and have one too many,” Dr. Smith said. “It is always important to have a plan on how you will manage alcoholic offerings at holiday parties you are hosting. For those attending events, they should be prepared with a plan in advance about how they will get home if they drink alcohol.”
Now that cannabis/marijuana is legal in New York, users of the substance also need to pay heed about not driving after smoking. Like alcohol, marijuana impacts a person’s ability to make quick decisions on the road. The holidays are also a time when people in active recovery from drugs/alcohol may be tempted and find themselves “slipping up.”
"We do see an increase in relapses during this time of year, as many people associate holiday celebrations with alcoholic drinks or getting high. The best advice I can offer is for those in recovery to really think about what their limits are before going to a holiday party. If you don't feel strong enough to say no, don't go, or bring along an accountability partner,” Smith said. “It's okay to pass on a holiday party if it feels too risky for you. There are plenty of other holiday celebrations being held that do not involve alcohol and/or drugs.”