Game plan for Super Bowl Sunday: Don't drink and drive
The Super Bowl is American's most watched national sporting event.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1, there will be lots of game day socializing that may include drinking. That's why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Renz Addiction Counseling Center are urging football fans to choose sides now: don't drink, but if you do, don't drive … a designated sober driver will get everyone home safe.
According to NHTSA, in 2012 there were 10,322 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in the United States - 31 percent of all crash fatalities in the nation. A driver is considered alcohol-impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, the legal limit in all states.
"This Super Bowl consider enjoying the game, friends and food without drinking alcohol," said Renz Center's Executive Director Jerry Skogmo. "Many times one alcoholic drink can lead to many, ultimately intoxicating the person before he or she even knows it."
Renz Center provides a continuum of care dedicated to the prevention, intervention and treatment of addictive behaviors related to alcohol, drugs, and gambling. Services range from prevention programs for youth in the schools to outpatient treatment programs for adolescents and adults. Offices are located in Elgin, St. Charles, and Streamwood.
Renz Addiction Counseling Center is a nonprofit organization funded in part by the federal government, Central Kane County United Way, Illinois Department of Human Services, Hanover Township, Geneva, and St. Charles 708 mental health boards and other local community organizations.
To find out more about Renz Center's programs, call (847) 742-3545 or visit www.renzcenter.org. Follow the center on Facebook or Twitter.