Most people love to go to parties, and most find that parties are fun to give. The following tips for being a responsible host will give more pleasure to you and your guests.
Share this low-risk drinking guide with your guests prior to the event
(embed the video on your Facebook event page, link to the YouTube video in your Twitter or Instagram feed, etc.):
Plan people movement
Make sure that people can move around and meet each other. If it means putting the sofa in a corner, do so.
Pace the drinks
Serve drinks at regular, reasonable intervals. A drink-an-hour schedule usually means that good company prevails and you can avoid intoxication. Use small cups for beer drawn out of kegs rather than large ones.
Push quality snacks
Make sure that people are eating along with drinking. Have plenty of high quality snacks such as cheese, meats, nuts, etc.
Include non-alcoholic beverages
Remember that many people do not drink and may be on medications or recovering alcoholics. Make sure that you have non-alcoholic drinks such as good quality soft drinks, pop, water and juice. Non-alcoholic wine is great for a formal dinner.
Don’t allow intoxicated guests to drive home
If you find that one of your friends has consumed too much alcohol, let them sleep at your house, have someone else drive them home, or call a taxi.
The bartender
If you plan to have a friend act as “bartender,” make sure that he or she is not an eager pusher who uses the role to put an extra shot in everyone’s glass or keep filling up half empty cups with more beer.
Don’t double up
Many mature and wise people count and pace their drinks. If you serve doubles, they will be drinking twice as much as they planned. Doubling up is considered rude.
Don’t push drinks
Let the glass be empty before you offer a refill.
Closing the party
Decide, in advance, when you want your party to end. At this time, stop serving alcohol and serve coffee and a substantial snack. This provides some non-drinking time before your guests drive home. Coffee does not “sober up” intoxicated people and neither do cold showers. All you get is a “wide awake and freezing drunk”.
If you do chose to drink, please do so in a responsible, safe, sensible, and healthy way. If the police come to your door because of a noise or other complaint, they will ask for you (the party host/resident of the home.) Think about how you want to represent yourself.
Adapted by the Oregon State University Student Health Services from Engs, R.C. Alcohol and Other Drugs: Self Responsibility. Tichenor Publishing Company, Bloomington, IN, 1987
