Party Planning Guide 2007-2008
Alcohol Safety
Buying Guide for Parties
An easy way of reducing the risk of having alcohol-related problems at your party is to reduce the amount of alcohol available to your guests. For planning purposes assume:
- You're planning a four-hour party.
- You won't be serving any alcohol during the last hour of the party (“cool down time”).
- You're expecting 100 guests, keeping in mind that 30% will be drinking nonalcoholic beverages.
- You'll be serving three to four drinks per person maximum.
- A maximum of 1 keg of beer will serve 50 people all evening (approximately 160 ten oz. cups).
- You will have at a minimum the equivalent to 33 two-liter bottles or 30 six-packs of EANABs.
Examples of Creative EANABs
- Lemonade
- “Virgin” daiquiris
- Smoothies
- “Virgin” margaritas (made without tequila)
- Soda/seltzer water (e.g. Crystal Geyser)
- Bottled root beer
- Fruit juices
- Coffee/lattes
- Flavored iced tea
- Bottled water (with and without carbonation)
- Punches with fresh fruit
- Snapple
- Hot chocolate
- Shakes/malts
Signs of Intoxication
- Acting aggressively or belligerently.
- Is disoriented as to time and place.
- Rambling or irrational speech.
- Bloodshot or glassy eyes.
- Looking for trouble, complaining.
- Talking loudly, then very softly.
- Avoiding eye contact, difficulty focusing.
- Responding slowly to questions.
- Moving slowly.
- Stumbling, bumping into things, falling down.
- Slurring words.
- Spilling drinks.
- Swaying.
Managing High-Risk Guests
Dos
- Be friendly, considerate and firm.
- Be assertive and nonjudgmental.
- Make sure you have others close by for support.
- Refer to your organization's social policy.
- Use the guest's friends as your allies.
- Offer guests an alternative to drinking alcohol; this will allow the guest to “save face” and feel in control.
- Be aware of possible aggression; try to get the person away from the crowd and distracted from possible sources of anger.
Don'ts
- Be an authoritarian, angry or obnoxious.
- Back down or change your mind.
- Hesitate to call the police for help. (They can remove disruptive guests.)
- Take statements personally or get into a shouting match.
- Touch anyone without good reason; if a person attacks you, use only enough force to restrain the person.
- Try to be a hero or “wanna-be” cop.
- Embarrass the guest; guests observing the situation may feel a need to intervene or retaliate.
Responding to Alcohol Emergencies
There is no way to sober someone up quickly. It takes about as many hours to sober up as the number of drinks consumed. Here are some first aid procedures to use when people have had too much to drink:
If the person passes out but can be roused,
immediately notify the RA or RF. Someone should stay with the person, monitoring his or her breathing at regular intervals. Make sure the person is sleeping on his or her side with knees bent to prevent choking in case of vomiting.
If the person passes out but cannot be roused,
or if respiration slows to 6-7 breaths a minute, call 911 (off campus) or 9-911 (on campus) immediately.
