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Although many of the potential signs of intoxication that you have learned about are visible and obvious, others are subtle and not as easy to see.

You need to be alert and observant in order to help ensure that you do not serve alcohol to intoxicated individuals. Also, remember that alcohol takes time to be absorbed into the bloodstream. If someone seems fine the moment they stop drinking, they could still appear much more intoxicated in 15 or 30 minutes when the alcohol is absorbed.

Taking the actions discussed in this section, trying to prevent the problem, and, finally, stopping service if necessary will help keep your guests safe and protect you and your organization from civil liability.

If someone has become intoxicated at your event, you may need to provide some services to them in order to ensure their safety. Below are some tips someone should follow when dealing with this situation.

Do’s and Don’ts for the Immediate Care of a Drunk Person

Do:

1. Calmly, explain to the person what you are doing to them
2. Get the person to someplace they can lay down comfortably (confront their behavior later)
3. If the person is lying down, make them lay on their side.
4. Check on the person as much as possible.
5. While dealing with the person, be calm and reassuring. Speak clearly to them and reinforce that you are trying to help.
6. If the person has injured themselves or if you believe the guest may be experiencing alcohol poisoning, seek medical attention immediately by calling 911

Don’t:

1. Don’t give the person any drugs (not even aspirin) to try to sober them up.
2. Don’t give the person coffee, tea or any other food or liquid to sober them up.
3. Don’t give them a cold shower. The shock could cause them to pass out and injure themselves.
4. Don’t try to walk, run, or exercise the person.
5. Don’t attempt to keep the person awake.
6. Don’t try to constrain the person.

In any case where a person seems to be in a medically dangerous condition, such as being injured, unable to breathe, passed out and having low or no respiration CALL 911. The person may not need it, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. If the person is unmanageable (aggressive, etc), it is appropriate to call the police for help even if the guest, the caller or the host is a minor. It is true that a minor involved in a situation like this could receive an MIP. However, any repercussions someone could face from an MIP pale in comparison to the grief and legal consequences a death at your event would cause.