Be a responsible host this New Year’s Eve
There’s no better way to kick off the New Year than by hosting a party for family and friends. Throwing a fabulous party that your guests will love may take some planning, but it’s also important to be a responsible host. New Year’s Eve parties generally occur after dark, involve alcohol, and require transportation, the combination of which can create specific hazards. While it isn’t necessary to stay huddled in a corner to keep safe, it’s important to know which hazards exist and ways to protect yourself and others. The following tips provided by the National Crime Prevention Council and AlertID can help make your night of celebration a safe and fun experience for you and all of your guests.
Be a Responsible Host
- Create a setting conducive to easy, comfortable socializing. This encourages conversation and social interaction rather than heavy drinking.
- Serve food before beginning to serve drinks. This de-emphasizes the importance of alcohol and also sends the message that intoxication is not desirable.
- Have a responsible bartender. If you plan to ask a friend or relative to act as bartender, make sure that person is not a drink pusher who encourages excessive consumption.
- Don’t have an “open bar.” A responsible person needs to supervise consumption to ensure that no one drinks too much. You have both a moral and a legal responsibility to make sure that none of your guests drink too much.
- Pace the drinks. Serve drinks at regular reasonable intervals. A drink-an-hour schedule is a good guide.
- Push snacks. Make sure that people are eating.
- Be sure to offer a diversity of attractive non-alcohol drinks.
- Respect anyone’s choice not to drink. Remember that about one-third of American adults choose not to drink.
- End your gathering properly. Decide when you want the party to end and stop serving drinks well before that time. Then begin serving coffee along with substantial snacks. This provides essential non-drinking time before your guests leave.
- Protect others and yourself by never driving if you think, or anyone else thinks, that you might have had too much to drink. Use a designated driver.
Before You Head Out
- Know where and why you are going out to party. What’s the setting? After you drink, will there be an opportunity to wait for alcohol to wear off before driving home? Can you spend the night where you are going? Should you be extra cautious about how much you drink?
- Be Prepared with enough spending power for a taxi, or hotel room.
- Program your phone with the number of a taxi service
- Is Public Transportation an option?
- Is there a Designated Driver Service available in your area?
- Find out if a hotel is within walking distance of where you will be.
While Partying
- Know how much you are drinking and how it affects you.
- Get a second opinion. You are NOT a good judge of how drunk you are!
- Know your available options.
- Know when to stop drinking. If you must drive, leave enough time for the alcohol to wear off. Realize this can take at least 45 minutes per drink.
Learn more about Drinking and Driving Prevention from the National Crime Prevention Council and AlertID by visiting the Live Safely Resource Center:
- Facts and Figures
- How to Spot a Drunk Driver on the Road
- Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Explained
- How Can I Protect Myself?
- Ways to Avoid Drinking and Driving?
Information provided by the National Crime Prevention Council and AlertID.