With summertime waning, thoughts have now turned to planning parties for fall events and the holiday season. It takes weeks of preparation to stage an event for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or another special day.
When making plans for games to play, food to eat and decorations to put up, don’t forget the “safety” factor, particularly if you decide to serve alcoholic beverages at your party.
As a host, you want your guests to enjoy themselves, but in a safe manner. Allowing your guests to overindulge in alcohol could get you in trouble, especially if they drive away from your party and cause an accident. Most states have criminal laws that make the “social host” (the person sponsoring the event) responsible for allowing their guests to drive knowing that they are intoxicated. The person driving would be charged with a driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs.
Tips for avoiding a DUI-in-the-making
There are several precautions you can take to ensure that everyone stays safe during and after your party:
1. Make sure there is a designated driver for intoxicated guests
If you have a large number of guests, it may be difficult for you to monitor each guest drinking alcohol. So, there may be a guest who overindulged. In these instances, ask the person with whom the guest came or someone else to be a designated driver or call a taxi cab to take the person home. If this is a friend of yours and seems warranted, allow them to spend the night at your house.
2. Invite guests that you know are responsible with alcohol
Inviting friends that you know who drink responsibly will save you from worrying about overindulging guests. If your friend, by chance, invites a stranger to the party, keep a watchful eye out on that person and let your friend know, in a civil manner (and at a later date) your displeasure if their actions are unsafe.
3. Assign a responsible adult to serve drinks
Rather than allow your guests to serve themselves or just give them a bottle and let them “have at it,” have a “bartender” stationed near the drinks to help you keep track of the amount of drinks your guests have consumed. Use measuring tools to measure the amount of alcohol for mixed drinks.
4. Do not serve underage guests alcohol
In the event that a guest invited someone you do not know who looks to be under 21, question their age and voice your concerns about serving them alcohol.
5. Know your state’s legal BAC limit
For example, “Florida’s legal limit is a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent,” says one Tampa DUI attorney firm. There are various websites and apps that include a BAC calculator that can be consulted if any guests are unsure if they have had one too many.
6. Limit your own intake of alcohol
As the host of the party you are entitle to enjoy yourself and have a little fun. However, you are also responsible for the safety of your guests so make sure not to have “too much” fun with alcohol.
7. Serve food along with the alcohol
Offering foods with high carbohydrates or proteins reportedly slows down alcohol absorption in the body.
8. Offer non-alcoholic drinks
Not everyone will want to have an alcoholic beverage, and even those who drink may not want to be tempted to go beyond one or two drinks. Having non-alcoholic refreshment, including water or sparkling grape juice, provides safe beverage alternatives.
Don’t let your celebration turn tragic. Careful planning today will mean safe and enjoyable holiday parties.
As an event host and promoter, southern author Molly Pearce always tries to look out for guests that may become intoxicated, and writes to encourage readers to include drunk driving prevention as part of their safety precautions at any celebration. Seasoned Tampa DUI attorney firm, Katz & Phillips, may be consulted if an oversight results in serious legal ramifications and the need for experienced representation.
Photo credit- http://www.flickr.com/photos/digidreamgrafix/8331359436/