April Is Alcohol Awareness Month

The Richland County DUI Task Force would like to remind you April is Alcohol Awareness Month. During the month the task force is challenging the community to raise their awareness regarding issues pertaining to alcohol.

Educate yourself on Safe/Healthy Limits

-0- drinks for those under 21, pregnant or nursing, taking over the counter or prescription drugs, operating heavy equipment-vehicles,-boats, ATVs-motorcycles, those told by a physician to refrain from drinking, recovering alcoholics and those mandated by the court to refrain from drinking.

-1- standard sized drink per day for women

-2- standard sized drinks per day for men

Educate yourself on what a Standard Drink unit/size is

12 ounces of beer or wine cooler

8/9 ounces of craft or micro-brews

5 ounces of table wine

1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor

Educate yourself on the effects of absorbed alcohol ~ Your BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration)

.02% BAC can affect your ability to perform two different tasks at the same time

.05% BAC can reduce your ability to respond to emergency driving situations

.08% BAC effects information processing capability

Educate yourself on personal effects of alcohol. A person’s BAC varies depending on the number of standard drink units, speed of drinking, gender, weight, food consumed. It takes about 1 hour for your body to process the alcohol of one standard drink unit.

Educate yourself on controlling the absorption rate of alcohol

Limit your alcohol consumption to 1 drink unit per hour. Coffee will not lower your BAC only time can.

Become aware of the amount of alcohol you are consuming…remember not all drinks are equal. A “Long Island Tea” can have 5 standard drink units in it. Heavy pours by servers can also contain more alcohol than one standard drink unit.

Educate on how to keep yourself and the community safe

There is NO EXCUSE to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We have 24/7 public transportation. The task force encourages you to put Sidney Shuttle’s phone number in your cell phone 433-3636 and remember all alcohol establishments also have their number.

If you are planning a night out give them a call. They can get you to your destination and home with no worries about parking.

If you find yourself in a situation where you shouldn’t be driving, they will get you and your vehicle home.

If you see impaired drivers, law enforcement, the task force and your community encourage you to be RADD (Report a Drunk Driver) and call 911.

For more information contact Mary Sundheim, DUI Task Force Coordinator at the Richland County Health Department 406-433-2207.