"Everyone knows when they see someone who is intoxicated beyond the point of being allowed to drink anymore. I think it's very easy. I think the hard thing for management and door staff is being able to identify those people early."
Naera Parata
Watching what is said on the What is intoxication? page will give you a pretty good idea about the ideal stage to intervene with your customers.
Surprising for some is that the ideal stage to intervene is long before your customer becomes intoxicated.
Intoxication Prevention Tool
If you refer to Creating a responsible drinking environment: Guidelines for Licensed Premises 2008 (ALAC) you will encounter the Intoxication Prevention Tool on page 30 as below.
This is an excellent model for intervening along the intoxication continuum. It will help you maintain a convivial and fun drinking environment for all your patrons and it shows you how to avoid the legal ramifications of having intoxicated patrons on your premises.
Host Responsibility Intoxication Prevention Tool: Helping you manage the responsible service of alcohol
The fundamental message that comes from those working across all facets of the liquor industry is that to manage intoxication on your premise requires a willingness to intervene early. It requires a commonsense approach to recognising the signs of your patrons losing their judgment.
It is also the hospitality worker's main legal requirement and the key obligation to their customer.
If a drinker is already at the stage of showing physical signs of intoxication then they should no longer be on your premises or should not be allowed into your venue - its that simple.
