NYC Trying To Cut Down On "Second Hand Drinking"

AMNY – The city’s health department, citing new data showing how New Yorkers are hurt by binge drinking, is starting a new campaign Monday to end the trend. The 2012 survey results released yesterday found that one in five New Yorkers polled had been harmed by someone else’s drinking in the prior six months. Among the ways they were victimized included physical assaults, unwanted sexual advances and humiliation. Dr. Hillary Kunins, a deputy commissioner for the health department, said the print ads, which will appear in subways and bars starting in August and depict belligerent-looking bar patrons, will spur those drinkers to think twice before having another shot. “Hopefully this will raise awareness of second-hand drinking and the idea that excessive drinking can put them and their friends at risk,” she said. The health department study, which was the first of its kind and surveyed 5,041 city adults, said 7% of New Yorkers got into a serious arguments because of someone else’s drinking; 3% were hit or assaulted by a drunk person; 8% had to “baby-sit” or care for someone who drank too much and 3% experienced unwanted sexual advances by a drunk person. About 52% of adults spent time with other drinkers in the previous 30 days and in most cases, the responders said the harmful drunk related incidents happened multiple times. The health department defines binge drinking as having four or more drinks for a woman and five for a man in one sitting. The ads, which will be in the bathrooms of 97 bars throughout August and September, warn New Yorkers to “Keep their friends from hurting themselves,” and have the slogan “Cut them off before they’ve had too much.” Kunins said the campaign builds upon PSAs in the past like the “Two drinks ago” initiative that focused on the effects bingeing had on the drinker. Now, she said, the focus is on their friends and family. “With these ads, we are either going to reach drinkers or people who spend time with drinkers,” Kunins said

Second hand drinking? The fuck does that mean? Are you talking about drinking 2 beers at once? Like using your second hand to drink? Because thats the only thing that makes sense to me. If you think I’m gonna let someone cut down on my drinking because other people don’t like being around me, you’ve got another thing coming. I’ll stop drinking soda and using salt in this city before I stop drinking booze just because some Puritan losers don’t want to be around me when I’m drunk. I’ve always said I don’t trust people who don’t drink. You don’t need to be a frat boy booze bag but if you don’t ever touch alcohol, I don’t trust you as a person. Plain and simple.

But to take it a step further and complain about Second Hand Drinking – well now you’re just a full blown asshole. You don’t need to babysit me. You don’t need to worry about me. If you don’t like being around me when I’m drunk, then just fucking leave me alone. Been drunk plenty of times before. I’ll be just fine. Just leave me alone and go be your weird, socially awkward sober self elsewhere. You Second Hand Sobriety is ruining my night.