St. Patrick’s Day is a widely celebrated holiday that honours St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, many people partake in various traditions that highlight Irish culture. One of the most popular ways to celebrate is by attending St. Patrick’s Day parades, which are held in cities around the world. These parades often feature vibrant displays of green, shamrocks, and traditional Irish music and dance.
While St. Patrick’s Day is a time for celebration, it can be seen as a time when many may feed into the stereotype of Irish culture and overconsume alcohol. This St. Patrick’s Day, Drinkaware is encouraging adults to take a look at how they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and join the mindful drinking movement.
What to do on St Patrick’s Day if you don’t drink?
On St. Patrick’s Day, if you choose not to drink alcohol, there are plenty of ways to celebrate. You can start by wearing green attire to show your Irish spirit. Enjoy watching a St. Patrick’s Day parade, where you can witness lively performances, colourful floats, and traditional Irish music. Engage in various cultural activities like Irish dancing or trying cooking or baking some traditional Irish foods like soda bread. Additionally, you can spend time with friends and family by hosting a themed gathering or you can still go to the pub on a regular night out and just not drink alcohol. St. Patrick’s Day can be enjoyed by people of all ages and preferences, with or without alcohol.
What to know if you decide to drink alcohol
If you do decide to drink over the long weekend, make sure you know the facts about alcohol. Specifically, what the low-risk weekly guidelines are and what binge drinking is. The low-risk weekly guidelines are 17 standard drinks for men and 11 standard drinks for women spread out over the week with at least 2 alcohol-free days. This looks like 8.5 pints of beer (4.5%) for men in one week with at least 2 alcohol-free days. For women, this looks like a bottle of wine (12%) and 3 half pints of beer (4.5%) for women in one week with at least 2 alcohol-free days.
People sometimes see St. Patrick’s Day as a time to overconsume on alcohol and perhaps to binge drink. Binge drinking is having 6 or more standard drinks in one session. This may look like 3 pints of beer, stout or cider (as 1 pint is 2 standard drinks) or 6 100mls glasses of wine or pub measures or spirits. Binge drinking can put a huge strain on your liver and heart. Consuming large amounts of alcohol also increases your risk of ending up in dangerous situations.
For anyone who is interested in joining the mindful drinking movement, and embracing some small, positive changes of their own this St. Patrick’s Weekend, Drinkaware has some simple tips including:
- If drinking at home, it can be as simple as choosing a smaller glass or using a measure.
- If drinking while you’re out at a pub or another venue, think about alternating each round with a glass of water.
- Think about choosing low or no-alcohol options at the bar.
- Set yourself a spending limit so that you can anticipate reducing your alcohol intake in advance.
#HeresToChange
With more and more adults looking to make positive changes to their drinking habits, we are seeing a positive shift in alcohol consumption habits in Ireland. 36% of adults now agree they would like to drink alcohol less often. 41% say they have made small positive changes to their drinking habits in the past 30 days.
The Drinkaware 2023 Barometer research shows that 31% of adults in Ireland’s motivation to drink less is to improve their mental health. When you start to cut down or cut out alcohol, you will start to notice your mental health slowly improving. For one, if you decide to not drink on a night out and make the decision to drink water instead and get up the next day to do something you enjoy. Not only are you giving yourself time to enjoy your hobbies, but you are also not going to wake up with ‘the fear’. If you are making your St. Patrick’s Day plans, why not challenge yourself to a sober night and reap the benefits the next day so you can continue to enjoy and make the most out of your long weekend?
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day without alcohol can be a fun and fulfilling experience that promotes positive changes in your overall well-being. Instead of focusing on drinking, you can enjoy the day by participating in all kinds of sober-free activities. Engaging in these alcohol-free activities can improve your physical health, mental clarity, and emotional well-being. Making this change can lead to a more balanced and fulfilling lifestyle that benefits both your body and mind.