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RESPONSIBLE SERVICE OF ALCOHOL

RESPONSIBLE SERVICE OF ALCOHOL

Although most people drink alcohol responsibly, alcohol abuse by a small minority can result in crime, health risks and anti-social behaviour. The professional bartender can play a vital role in the responsible service and promotion of alcohol.

INTOXICATION

Intoxication can have a dramatic effect on a person’s behaviour. Bartenders have a responsibility to be proactive in the prevention of persons becoming unduly intoxicated and to ensure the safety of all customers. In some countries it is illegal to knowingly sell alcohol to a person who is drunk or appears drunk. Equally it is an offence to serve alcohol to the companion of a person who is drunk for the drunken person’s consumption.

COMMON SIGNS OF INTOXICATION:

• Slurring and mispronunciation

• Staggering, swaying or clumsiness

• Looking sleepy (eyes rolling back)

• A significant change in behaviour as well as anti-social behaviour

• Speaking loudly and the inability to hear properly

DRINK DRIVING

Bartenders should always have their clients’ safety in mind when selling or serving drinks. If you are aware that any of your clientele is driving, always be in a position to offer an alternative non-alcoholic beverage.

UNDER-AGE DRINKING

In some countries, serving alcohol to minors is illegal and bartenders can face personal fines and criminal charges. Ensure you check the local licensing laws and regulations. Always be prepared to ask a customer for proof of age. Be sensitive in your approach to any customer that may appear under the legal drinking age so as not to cause unnecessary embarrassment.

WHAT HAPPENS TO ALCOHOL IN YOUR BODY?

The alcohol in drink is absorbed into your body through the stomach and small intestine. Food slows down the rate of absorption – that’s why alcohol affects you more quickly on an empty stomach.

From here, it is distributed via the bloodstream throughout the body, reaching your heart, brain, muscles and other tissues. This happens very quickly – within a few minutes. Usually, though not always, this has a pleasant effect.

Your body can’t store alcohol, so it has to get rid of it, mostly via your liver. First, the liver changes alcohol into a highly toxic substance called acetaldehyde.

This turns into acetate, a harmless substance, which is passed out in the urine. Some alcohol is also excreted through the breath and sweat. Your body’s ability to process alcohol depends on various factors like your age, weight and sex. Your body breaks down alcohol at a rate of about one unit per hour – and no, there is no way you can speed this up!

ALCOHOL AND UNIT MEASUREMENT

Everyone involved in the sale of alcohol should be aware of the strengths of drinks they serve and should be prepared to give customers informed advice. Some customers may wish to know the levels of alcohol contained in different drinks to monitor their alcohol intake. So that this may be done, a measurement called a ‘unit of alcohol’ is used, one unit equating to 8 g or 10 ml of alcohol Half a pint of beer, at a strength of 3.5% ABV, contains 8 g of alcohol, or 1 unit (or to be specific 1.0255 units). One 25 ml jigger of vodka, at a strength 40% ABV, also contains 8 g alcohol. Therefore, in terms of alcohol intake, one jigger of vodka is equivalent to half a pint of beer.

ALCOHOL AND THE BODY

Alcohol is absorbed into the blood and reaches all parts of the body, and the effect drinking has on an individual depends on how much alcohol is in the bloodstream at any given time, in other words, the blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

The amount of alcohol that gets into the bloodstream and how quickly depends on quantity, gender, build and ingested food. All these factors combined make an accurate diagnosis of a person’s BAC almost impossible.

OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS AFFECTING BAC:

VOLUME: The amount of alcohol consumed and the strength (ABV% or proof).

SIZE AND WEIGHT: If you are small, your blood alcohol volume is less than that of a larger person.

SEX: Women can’t drink as much as men – it’s a biological fact! Women are generally smaller and have proportionately less body water and more body fat than men, and alcohol doesn’t dissolve easily in fat. That’s why, drink for drink, women end up with more alcohol in their bloodstream than men.

WATER LEVEL: If you’re dehydrated, alcohol will have a greater effect than if your body’s water concentration is normal. That’s why drinking alcohol in summer or after exercise affects you more.

INGESTED FOOD: If you drink a unit of alcohol on an empty stomach, almost all of it will be absorbed in an hour. But if there’s food in your stomach, the process will be slower.

The sole cause of drunkenness is drinking alcohol at a rate faster than your body can process it. Usually, about 20 minutes after the last drink, BAC starts to fall.

VODKA: 25 ML AT 40% ABV = 1 UNIT

BEER: 275 ML AT 5% ABV = 1.375 UNITS

WINE: 175 ML AT 12.5% ABV = 2.18 UNITS

The number of units of alcohol in any quantity of any drink can be worked out

by applying the following formula:

Amount of liquid in ml x % ABV x 0.001. Here are some common examples:

• Single measure (25 ml) of Smirnoff vodka at 40% ABV = 1 unit

• Half a pint (284 ml) of Heineken beer at 5% ABV = 1.42 units

• Small glass (125 ml) of Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial NV at 12% ABV = 1.5 units

• Small glass (125 ml) of wine at 12% ABV = 1.5 units

• Double measure (50 ml) of Jack Daniel’s whiskey at 40% ABV = 2 units

• Medium glass (175 ml) of wine at 12% ABV = 2 units

• One pint (568 ml) of Guinness stout at 4.1% ABV = 2.4 units

• One pint (568 ml) of Stella Artois lager at 5.2% ABV = 2.95 units

• Large glass (250 ml) of wine at 12% ABV = 3 units

• Double measure of La Fée absinthe at 68% ABV = 3.4 units

BAC LEVELS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE BODY

Bac (mg/decilitre)	Symptoms
50	Euphoria, talkativeness, relaxation
100	Central nervous system depression, impaired motor and sensory functions, impaired cogntion
140	Decreased blood flow to brain
300	Stupefaction, possible unconsciousness
400	Possible death
500	Death highly likely