Hints for the Host/Hostess

If you're going to serve liquor, here are some ideas for keeping things under control.

Don't Double Up

A lot of people count their drinks. But if you serve doubles, they'll be drinking twice as much as they can handle. Doubling up isn't generous. It's rude.

Don't Rush Refills

Wait until the glass is empty before you offer another drink.  And then don't be in a hurry... especially if someone seems to be coming up empty too fast.

Give More Than a Drink

Introduce two people who don't know each other. Get a conversation started. Give someone a compliment... or a laugh. You have more to give than just drinks. A host of hostess is not just a bartender.

Keep 'em Nibbling

Not just later on, but while your guests are drinking. That's important, because it slows down the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream. It also slows down the rate at which people drink.

Offer Soft Drinks

One third of the adult population chooses not to drink at all. And many others who drink socially sometimes prefer not to. So offer a choice. And when someone says, "no, thanks"... don't push it. There are 9 million Americans for whom even one drink is one too many.

Dinner is Served

If you're going to serve dinner or an evening snack, do it before it's too late. If the "cocktail hour" goes on for hours, nobody will know what they had for dinner.

If...

someone drinks too much at your house, YOU are responsible. That's what it means to be a host or hostess. See that he/she gets home safely, but don't let the person drive. And don't think you can sober someone up in a short time with a cold shower or black coffee. Only time can sober them up. It will take about one hour for every drink they've had. So sometimes it's best to let the guest "sleep it off" instead of going home.

When a Guest Becomes Drunk

Being a host means that if someone drinks too much at your house, you are responsible for his safe recovery.

Getting drunk is not a humorous affair. Many people do not know their capacity for alcohol. The number and kinds of drinks that will get a person drunk vary from person to person. In fact, in the same individual, the effect of alcohol will vary depending upon circumstances. Variables include:

• How fast a person drinks.
• Type of beverage.
• Body weight.
• Whether he has eaten.
• Individual body chemistry.
• Drinking history and experience.
• Such things as current mood and attitude.

In spite of your best intentions and those of you guests, someone may become drunk at your party. The easy alternatives have been to get rid of him or her as quickly as possible, or to search for a fast way to sober up the individual.

There is no way to sober up quickly. It takes time for the body to metabolize the alcohol that is in the bloodstream--about one hour for each average drink taken. Black coffee, a cold shower, or even a whiff of oxygen simply are not effective sobering agents.

If possible, see that the drunken guest gets home safely, but do not let him drive. It may take some ingenuity and determination to part an intoxicated guest from his car keys, but it must be done to protect both his safety and that of the public.

Often the kindest thing you can do for an intoxicated guest is to make him comfortable and let him sleep it off until he is sober enough to take himself home safely.

It is hospitable and advisable to serve a snack with coffee, tea, of other nonalcoholic beverage before guests leave, even though this will not sober up an intoxicated person. However, the food and time required to eat it will reduce to some extent the effects of alcohol and will allow planning for safe travel.