Alcohol impairs everything - from judgment, to reflexes, to balance, making one prone to serious injury .... and who wants to celebrate Thanksgiving in the emergency department-- or if you're lucky enough to make it home alive-- with a hangover?" says Thomas Esposito, chief of the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and Burns in the Department of Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center.
The day before Thanksgiving, nicknamed Black Wednesday, is a time when college students are home and reunite with friends over beers or alcoholic beverages in bars and restaurants.
"At Loyola, we will see traffic related injuries, broken bones, burns, head injuries, stab and gunshot wounds, all related to thoughtless risk taking behavior brought on by alcohol induced impulsivity or stupidity" said Esposito.
He also adds "throw in the distraction of texting friends and you've got a cocktail recipe for a life changing holiday disaster that will leave you with many not so happy memories of this Thanksgiving-- if you live."
The trauma surgeon with over twenty years of witnessing Black Wednesday carnage emphasizes, "These are not 'accidents'-- they are risks that are unrecognized, unheeded or poorly managed. So if you think of drinking to excess on Black Wednesday or driving while impaired or distracted... think again or it might be the last thought you have!"
Loyola is the only American College of Surgeons verified Level 1 Trauma Center in Illinois.
A Level 1 trauma center is equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries -- car and motorcycle crashes, stabbings, athletic injuries, falls -- using multidisciplinary treatment and specialized resources, Esposito says.
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