It’s the most wonderful time of the year. But bad decisions while celebrating the holidays also often make it one of the most dangerous times of the year.

On Sunday, the Eagle ran a story about how Pennsylvania residents consume nearly 30% of their annual alcohol intake during the end-of-the-year holiday season, which stretches from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.

A survey by Detox.net, an online resource for finding drug and alcohol detox centers, found that state residents will drink about one-third of their annual alcohol intake during the six-week holiday period.

On top of that, a quarter of drinkers said they planned to drink more this year due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

If any year warranted more merriment than usual, it’s this one following wave after wave of the pandemic. However, we urge county residents to do so with caution.

There are obvious reasons to avoid overindulging in alcoholic beverages during the holiday season or any time of year. Excessive alcoholic consumption is a hazard to your health as various experts explained in the Eagle’s story.

But your actions can also affect others. Drinking and driving is a year-round danger to all those on the road with a person who is inebriated behind the wheel.

However, the holiday season has some of the worst DUI statistics.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that, in 2018, there were 285 fatal drunk driving incidents in the United States during Christmas and New Year’s. And, according to the National Safety Council, 38% of fatal crashes on Christmas Day 2019 in the United States involved alcohol-impaired drivers.

If your holiday celebrations involve drinking alcohol, do not endanger your fellow Butler County residents by getting behind the wheel.

Also, the COVID-19 pandemic — which isn’t fading away yet — is in the midst of another wave, and so far studies of the omicron variant have found it to be among the most transmissible of the pandemic’s variants.

Having too much to drink can lead to people letting their guard down. Don’t do it. Keep taking the proper safety precautions to ensure that you and those around don’t help to spread COVID-19 in your community.

We hope county residents enjoy the holiday season, and find some joy at the end of a year that, for many, has been lacking it. Just be careful while you do it, for your own safety and that of others.

— NCD