10 Tips for Preparing a Safe Party this St. Patrick’s Day
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner it’s an important time to talk about driving under the influence and how to avoid it. Before you throw your St. Patrick’s Day Party this weekend, make sure to follow these handy tips.
1) Plan Ahead
While planning your party, try to find out how your guests will be getting home. The more details you can plan ahead, the less you’ll have to worry about drives the night of. Have extra cash on hand for taxis and encourage attendees to use other forms of transportation to get to and from your event.
2) Serve Food
When serving alcohol always make sure to have snacks and food to go with it. Having alcohol on an empty stomach will lower your guests’ tolerance, and this is something you definitely do not want.
3) Serve Regular Beverages
One of the problems with salty or greasy snacks is that they make people thirsty. Make sure you have non-alcoholic beverages on hand so guests don’t go chugging the alcoholic drinks.
4) Be a Bartender
Set yourself up as the bartender or hire one for the night. Guests tend to drink less when they are not serving their own drinks.
5) No Exercise
Alcohol and physical activity do not mix! People are more likely to fall and injure themselves if they have alcohol in their system.
6) Open the Hotel
Get the guestroom ready in case anyone overdoes it. Avoid awkward situations by just preparing in advance.
7) Make an Action Plan
Know what to do and have taxi numbers on hand in case anyone needs them. Don’t wait until someone’s almost out the door to come up with a plan.
8) Make a last call
If you know your guests are planning on driving home, make sure you stop serving alcohol at an appropriate hour and switch to snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
9) Look into designated driving chauffeur services
Designated driving services and becoming a lot more common in Ontario. In Ottawa, one option is to call Responsible Choice.
10) Stay alert
Make sure you don’t indulge too much as the host. You want to be ready and alert for any situation that will require your judgment.
Remember: as a host it is your responsibility to make sure your guests don’t leave your house under the influence. Taking small steps beforehand will help to make sure that there aren’t major consequences down the line.
If you or someone you know has been in an accident call us for a free, no-obligation consultation at 613-233-4529 and we’ll be able to answer all your questions.
