Drinkaware urges caution over Easter Bank Holiday weekend

Michael Bolton

Drinkaware, the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse is providing the public with tips to have a safe Easter Bank Holiday.

Ahead of the Easter weekend, Drinkaware is reminding people of the dangers of driving the morning after drinking, highlighting the Drinkaware drinks calculator as a useful tool to keep track of how many drinks you have had and providing an estimation of how long it will take your body to process alcohol.

The Drinkaware drinks calculator is the most popular tool on drinkaware.ie. Over St. Patrick’s weekend, there were 15,212 visits to the calculator.

The interest in the calculator indicates people keep track of their consumption and are aware of the impact alcohol can have, whether it be the time it takes to process, the sugar content, the number of standard drinks, or the impact on their bank balance.

The Drinkaware Annual Barometer 2022 found 87% of people agree that any amount of alcohol impairs your ability to drive. Yet, figures from An Garda Síochána revealed that over the Easter weekend in 2022, show 184 arrests were made for drink/drug driving (111 alcohol/73 drugs).

Drinkaware are reminding people to plan a route home, allow time for alcohol to leave your system, and set a spending limit if you're planning on heading out this weekend.

They are also encouraging people to participate in alcohol-free events over the weekend, such as a local park run, family festivals and a mocktail night.