Many holidays have become excuses for long weekends and excessive partying. I don’t want to be a party pooper, but for those who perform safety-sensitive duties, you need to be aware of the potential consequences that drinking alcohol can have on your job. With this in mind, I have tried to make a list of things that you can do on this coming holiday weekend that are fun, while not putting your job on the line.
Now, before I get too deep here, I want to remind you that this will depend heavily on exactly where you are in the country. I have tried to pick things around the country, but I urge you to go check your local newspapers to see the fun happenings around your town.
Go to a waterpark or the beach
It has been hot around the entire country and
Go on a bike ride
Find a music festival
Chicago hosts their 35th Annual Jazz Festival from the 29th of August through the 1st of September where you can find free jazz music. This is just one example, as you can go around the country and find a bunch of music festivals where you can listen to some great music, hang out, and enjoy your weekend.
Go to a carnival
Carnivals are a great, family friendly environment
Go to a race
In here, I mean any kind of race you want to attend. In Baltimore, there is the Grand Prix of Baltimore where you can watch F1 cars speed around a track at 180mph. For those of you in Virginia Beach, you can go to or compete in the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Various other races are held around the country this weekend and finding a fun one can be a great way to enjoy your weekend. Near Park City? Go to the Running of the Balls where you can pay for a ball and then watch the awesomeness come racing down to the bottom of the hill as all of them are released at once. Winners get airline tickets, ski passes, and a bunch of other prizes.
Go to a ball game
The smell of the grass, the crack of a bat… baseball
In general, there are tons of things to do. Near you may be some very fun things that you never knew existed. And, best of all, you don’t need alcohol to have a great time with these. I am always asked how long alcohol stays in your system. Though we may wish there was an easy, exact answer, there isn’t. Things like an individual’s metabolism, body mass, age, hydration level, physical activity levels, medication— all will have a significant impact on how long the alcohol remains in your body and how long they will show up in a test. If you are a safety sensitive employee, you can be randomly tested at any time and consequences range from “Removal from Safety-Sensitive function(s)” to “Permanent disqualification from service.” I have included a link to more consequences for employees engaging in alcohol-related conduct here.
Is the risk worth it?
There are plenty of ways you can enjoy your extended weekend that don’t involve alcohol. Don’t put your job at risk unnecessarily.
Doing anything fun that doesn’t involve drinking this weekend? Let us know in the comments section!
I hope everyone has a safe and fun Labor Day!