Welcome to the British Institute of Club Management
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has told the drinks industry that a ‘cultural shift’ is required to tackle underage and binge drinking says ABV Training
Alcohol Awareness
Tackling the binge culture – alcohol awareness update
Gordon Brown has urged people to take ‘personal responsibility’ to help solve alcohol-related issues. He stated that he did not rule out a ‘revision’ of the Licensing Act and was clear that the blame for this breakdown in behaviour was not solely an industry problem, but required better local co-ordination, better education, better enforcement and for individuals to take personal responsibility for their actions.
The four licensing objectives defined by the licensing law in England and Wales are:
• The prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance
• The protection of children from harm
A recent study (to be published in the journal
Addiction) examines how young people between 18 and 35 years of age consume large amounts of alcohol before leaving home or going out for the evening in a town or city. On average they drank more than the recommended weekly maximum for an individual’s alcohol intake in a single night out! Those who drank at home were also more likely to have been involved in a fight when out.The recommended limits of drinking alcohol
The government’s ‘Sensible Drinking’ report (1995) states that men should not drink more than 21 units of alcohol a week and women no more than 14 units. So this means that sensible drinking limits are no more than 3-4 units per day for men and 2-3 units per day for women in order to highlight a safe level of moderate drinking.
The body’s Blood Alcohol Concentrate (BAC) falls 20 minutes after your last drink, allowing one hour for one unit of alcohol to be eliminated. It is advisable to go two full days without alcohol per week, to allow the body to fully absorb its effects.
Understanding alcohol units
One unit of alcohol is 10ml (1cl) by volume, or 8g by weight, of pure alcohol.
For example:- One unit of alcohol is about equal to:
• half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider (3-4% alcohol by volume) or
• a small pub measure (25ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume ) or
If anti-social behaviour starts on the premises you can:-
• Lower the volume of music and change the tempo.
• Raise the level of light and remove the presence of potential weapons off tables or shelves ie: glasses or bottles.
• Walk the floor and try to defuse the situation.
• Negotiate and try to talk to the group and slow down the drinking rate.
• Stop selling ie: the number of doubles, large glasses of wine etc.
• Ask them to leave the premises.
• As a last resort seek police assistance if behaviour is getting violent or not calming down.
• a standard pub measure (50ml) of fortified wine such as sherry or port (20% alcohol by volume)
There are one and a half units of alcohol in:
• a small glass (125ml) of ordinary strength wine (12% alcohol by volume) or
• a standard pub measure (35ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume)
Other examples are:-
• Three pints of beer, three times per week, is at least 18-20 units per week. That is nearly the upper weekly safe limit for a man. However, each drinking session of three pints is at least six units, which is more than the safe limit advised for any one day.
• A 750ml bottle of 12% wine contains nine units. If you drink two bottles of 12% wine over a week, that is 18 units. This is above the upper safe limit for a woman. Underage drinking poses health issues for the individual such as affecting their physical, mental and sexual health. It can also be a contributory factor in accidents, anti-social behaviour, crime and death-related incidents. In fact, both the underage drinker and the person providing the alcohol may, depending on the role each played in an incident, incur criminal and civil liability when accidents or injuries do occur. This can result in jail time, loss of employment and/or loss of personal assets.
Our social responsibility
It is a challenge and a duty as commercial operators to serve alcohol responsibly and to promote it wisely. Though running promotions can increase sales and improve profits, it is vital to be aware of how to support promotions within the business without encouraging excessive drinking. Quality should be more important than quantity. Remember to train staff into serving drinks responsibly which means not serving drunks or underage drinkers. If unsure of the age of a person then ask them for ID. The best and safest form of ID to ask for is a passport or driving licence.