Alcohol-related visits to local emergency rooms spike whenever Boston teams win championships and have parades, but effective public-safety oversight means we don’t experience the same sort of “horrendous” violence that other cities experience when they win, the Boston Public Health Commission reports.
The commission says it compiled ER stats from Boston championship runs dating back to 2004, and including this year’s Bruins’ championship:
The Bruins’ victory parade on June 18 generated the most alcohol-related hospital visits with 46, followed by 45 during the 2008 victory parade after the Celtics won the NBA championship. The 2007 parade after the Sox won the World Series generated the fewest alcohol-related ER visits with 20.
On the spectrum of assaults, 21 people – or three more than a typical Saturday – went to the ER for assault-related visits on the Bruins’ parade day, while only 8 went in 2004 on the day of the Patriots victory parade, which was 1.5 fewer visits than average.
In a statement, Public Health Commission Executive Direct Barabara Ferrer said:
Clearly, the data show that our town of titles has an effective public safety response when it comes to managing the euphoria that comes with winning championships. And while it’s always important to remind people to drink in moderation, we are not seeing in Boston the horrendous consequences of excessive alcohol consumption that has enveloped some other cities.
