Intoxicated? How do you tell? What do you do?

Recognizing and Dealing with
Apparently Intoxicated Persons

THE LAW (WA State)

RCW 66.44.200 (a liquor law) and WAC 314-16-150 (a liquor administrative rule) prohibit the selling, serving or supplying of liquor to an apparently intoxicated person. Intoxicated persons may remain on the licensed premises as long as they are not disorderly, or boisterous, and do not consume or possess liquor.

SIGNS OF INTOXICATION

Alcohol affects each individual differently. The same number of drinks may affect an individual differently today than it did yesterday! What happens to a person when they drink depends on the person's mood, the time of day, amount of food in the stomach, how fast drinks are consumed, mixers used (carbonated mixers speed the passage of alcohol into the bloodstream), medications or other drugs, gender (women are affected by alcohol more quickly than men), reasons for drinking, etc.

Employees who sell or serve alcoholic beverages should be aware of the following signs of intoxication:

Coordination:
Staggers, sways while attempting to stand still; holding on to bar, chair, etc.
Loss of train of thought (stops talking in mid-sentence)
Stands with feet wide apart for balance.
Leans against structure for support.
Fumbles with wallet or money.
Slurred speech or speaking very slowly and deliberately
Falls off a stool or chair
Slurs or trips over words while ordering.

Reduced Judgment and Inhibitions / Change in Behavior:
Buys rounds for strangers or the house
Argues / Annoys employees or other customers
Consumes drinks faster than usual, gulps drinks, orders doubles
Complains about strength of drink or slowness of service
Annoys other customers
Sudden or unexplained mood changes
Bragging
Overly friendly
Gets more Quiet
Goes to sleep
Becomes overly excited.
Speaks loudly and/or profanely (uses foul language).
Throws objects.
Giggles or laughs for no apparent reason.

Vision:
Eyes glassy, dilated pupils, lack of focus
Red or watery eyes.
Droopy eyelids or tired appearance.
Squints continuously.
Closes or covers one eye to remove double vision.

Reflexes:
Spills drink; misses mouth with glass
Unable to pick up money or drops money; unable to count out correct amount for drink
Sullen, doesn't want to communicate except to order drinks
Slow or deliberate movements.
Slow or no response to questions.
Slow or no reaction to actions such as spilling a beer on oneself.

Manners & Appearance:
Head boobs, eyelids drooping, looks sleepy
Frequently rubs hands through face and hair.
Sometimes has involuntary eye movement.
Frequent trips to the bathroom.
Strong, stale odor of alcohol.

One sign of intoxication alone may not be cause to suspect intoxication. However, 2 or more of these signs would lead someone to suspect the person is intoxicated or becoming intoxicated. Remember, just because a person "holds his/her liquor" well sometimes, doesn't mean that will be true all the time.

REFUSING SERVICE

Get to know your customers to ensure any refusal of service is based on their state of sobriety, not a disability. It is important to be careful not to confuse a disability characteristic with a sign of intoxication. Determine if the symptoms of apparent intoxication could mimic symptoms of a disability or medical condition. Isolate and evaluate each symptom in order to determine if there is a possible disability or medical condition. If questions still remain, when possible, interview the apparently intoxicated person in a discreet manner.

Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination against a person due to a disability. If a disability appears to explain a sign of intoxication – unsteady walking due to leg braces, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, etc., or drooping eyelids due to blindness, stroke, head injury, etc. – look for additional signs of intoxication.

Drinking can put people on the defensive. It gives them a sense of power and a false sense of security. You are no longer dealing with the logical, rational person of several drinks ago, because judgment is the faculty affected.

  1. Be courteous but firm, avoid confrontation and don't bargain or back down.
  2. Don't make statements that will embarrass or provoke a customer, such as "you're drunk", or "you're eighty-sixed", or "you've had too much".
  3. Don't give the customer the impression you know what's best for him/her.
  4. Count drinks, but also be aware that new customers may have been drinking elsewhere.
  5. Chat briefly with customers to help determine their sobriety. If the intoxicated person is part of a group, suggest to a sober member that the person be taken home (not allowed to drive home).
  6. Slow the frequency of service down when a customer orders rapidly.
  7. When a customer begins to show signs of intoxication, do not continue to serve weakened (feathered) drinks. No amount of liquor may be served to an apparently intoxicated person and you must remove any alcoholic drinks in their possession.

Suggested Statements

  1. I'd really appreciate it if you don't order another drink.
  2. The Liquor Control Board is (or, the local police are) cracking down and I can't serve you another drink.
  3. You're welcome to stay – you can order coffee or food, but I can't serve you another drink (or allow you to keep this drink) (Note: coffee/food will not sober someone up, but it will buy time, and time is the only thing that will bring about sobriety)
  4. I might lose my job (permit or license) if I serve you another drink.

REMEMBER: After telling a customer that you cannot serve him/her another drink – remove any existing drinks and walk away. It is harder for a person to argue when you're not there.

Suggested Technique

  1. Place a glass of water (or cup of coffee) next to their "last" drink. Train your regulars – the glass of water (or cup of coffee) is your way of saying that they will not receive another alcoholic beverage.

SOME TIPS FOR MANAGEMENT

  1. Establish and follow a policy on refusing service to apparently intoxicated persons.
  2. Make all employees aware of their responsibility, and your responsibility, for seeing that apparently intoxicated persons are not served and are not allowed to possess liquor. Insure all staff has their required permits.
  3. Owners and managers should back any employee who refuses service, even if the employee's decision is questionable – better to refuse a customer who is not too intoxicated to drive than to turn a drunk loose on the highway.
  4. The toughest call of all: back your employee's refusal to serve even when the drinker is a steady customer who may threaten to take his/her business elsewhere. Remember, their judgment is impaired; they may thank you later when they are sober.

 

THESE WORDS OF WISDOM HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY
CHERYL'S LAST CALL
360-458-2240