The 4th of July is upon us, and safety is important on this and all holidays. Please plan to celebrate safely, and remember these tips for a fun holiday and summer:
  • Keep hydrated to minimize problems while drinking: Soaring temperatures combined with the dehydrating effects of alcohol can lead to problems. Make sure every other drink is a non-alcoholic one. When hosting, make sure you provide plenty of cold, non-alcoholic choices for your guests.
  • Alcohol affects everyone differently: learn how it affects you by using Responsibility.org's Virtual Bar app. Remember that the legal driving limit in the United States is 0.08, and know how your alcohol intake equates to your BAC.
  • Alcohol and water recreation do not mix:
    Impaired judgment from even low levels of alcohol use can increase risk taking, leading surfers to attempt more dangerous waves and swimmers to underestimate the pull of a riptide or dive into too-shallow water.
  • Make sure your event does not become a "booze cruise:" The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that alcohol may be involved in 60% of boating fatalities, including falling overboard. In addition to impairing judgment and reaction time, alcohol can impair balance and vision - which can lead to injuries for all aboard.
  • Summer months increase the risk of impaired driving: When planning your celebration, make sure you include one or more of these options for a safe return home:
    • Ensure someone in your group is the designated, non-drinking driver
    • Check local transit schedules
    • Load a ridesharing app onto your smartphone
    • Save the number for a cab company into your phone
    Any of these ideas make it easy to not drink and drive at the end of the night.
Enjoy the long weekend and lots of safe summer fun in July!
Gordie Center in the News
Nonprofit Quarterly
The Gordie Center's response to Penn State student Tim Piazza's hazing death was highlighted, along with the nonprofit Aware Awake Alive, in a Nonprofit Quarterly article.
*The author of the article mistakenly uses the wrong first name for Tim Piazza, and erroneously lists Gordie's year of death as 2014 instead of 2004.
UVA Healthy Balance Blog
The University of Virginia Health System's Healthy Balance blog recently posted an article about alcohol overdose prevention that featured the Gordie Center's PUBS signs of overdose, as well as helpful information for parents in talking to their kids about alcohol.
Until next month,
 
Susie Bruce,  Director, Gordie Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Jill Maurer, National Development & Program Coordinator

 
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