Menu
When we drink responsibly, alcohol can be part of safe community and family experiences. But as we all know, it only takes one person having one too many for a night to become memorable for all the wrong reasons. If alcohol is going to be part of your night out, just be an adult about it. Have a safe ride home, eat food, drink water and space out your drinks. Check out Know Limits for more resources and a quiz to find how well you really know yours.
In small, sleepy, family-friendly Casper, we’re lucky we don’t have crime. Right? Not really, according to the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP) annual Alcohol and Crime report. It says, “Although Wyoming is relatively ‘safe’…the high percentage of alcohol-involved arrests, the inordinate number of arrests for public intoxication and driving under the influence, and the high levels of blood alcohol content for drivers arrested for being impaired represent real and significant threats to public safety.” Translated: law enforcement considers excessive alcohol use by adults a dangerous trend.
The data backs it up. Alcohol, more so than any other single factor, is the leading contributor to crime in Wyoming. This includes arrests obviously related to alcohol like driving under the influence (DUI) and public intoxication, as well as less indirect crimes including assault, disturbance, child abuse and domestic violence. Alcohol was involved in 52.22% of all arrests in 2020. This represents an increase from 48.41% in 2019 and a substantial jump from 40.52% in 2018.
In Natrona County, alcohol-related arrests were on-par with the rest of the state, and though DUI arrests were lower here, the average BAC was 0.1868 in DUI arrests, which was significantly higher than the state average and more than twice the legal limit.
Consuming responsibly keeps all of us safer.
For information on sources, click here.
Binge drinking isn’t just for college kids or alcoholics. Typically, this is when women consume four or more drinks or men consume five or more drinks in less than two hours. Understand the risks and know your limits.